Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Portrait of Miss Moffat
(18th and 19th Centuries )
Stories of women, jewels, and pearls, popular when this painting was first exhibited in 1826 in London, help to explain this enigmatic portrait. Pearls were especially associated with purity; in classical myth, they were believed to be the droplets of water that Venus, the goddess of love, shook from herself when she was born out of the sea. Thinking of ancient Rome, a viewer might have recalled the story of Cornelia, who when asked to show off her jewels, virtuously pointed to her children.
Shee, a fashionable portrait painter, chose his subjects from the worlds of the theatre and high society. Although the sitter is identified only as Miss Moffat, this portrait was exhibited at the Royal Academy (no. 72) in London in 1826. Four years later, Shee was elected president of the Academy.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Sale, Christie's, London, June 10 1899; purchased by Henry Walters, Baltimore, before 1901; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
Exhibitions
| 2006-2009 | Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Museum. Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota; The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 4/1/2023 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 10/1/1948 | Treatment | surface cleaned |
| 4/27/2005 | Treatment | surface cleaned; varnish removed; loss compensation; inpainted; coated |
Geographies
United Kingdom, England, London (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 36 1/8 x W: 28 1/8 in. (91.8 x 71.5 cm); Framed H: 46 1/4 × W: 38 7/16 × D: 3 9/16 in. (117.4 × 97.6 × 9 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, before 1901
Location in Museum
Charles Street: Second Floor: 18th- and 19th-Century Treasury
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.72