America / 1769
Catherine Greene
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Catherine Greene as painting (America · 1769).
Small, shimmering pearls in the woman's hair and on her sleeves add an opulent touch to this portrait.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas and credits John Singleton Copley (American, born The Thirteen Colonies, 1738–1815).
The museum's collection notes: The Boston painter Copley's virtuosity at rendering luxurious textiles was precisely the kind of talent that appealed to his patrons. In 1769 the prosperous merchant John Greene commissioned a portrait of himself and this portrait of his wife, Catherine (1735–1785), after thirteen years of marriage. Shown at the age of 34, Mrs. Greene wears a fanciful costume inspired by ancient styles, strikes a pose derived from an English engraving, and pretends to lean against a rock that looks as insubstantial as a theatrical prop. This likeness places Mrs. Greene in an ideal realm far removed from mundane matters. The frame is original.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtCatherine GreeneOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.