Portrait of a Woman

c. 1795
(British, 1757–1822)
Framed: 8.5 x 7 cm (3 3/8 x 2 3/4 in.); Sight: 7.1 x 5.5 cm (2 13/16 x 2 3/16 in.)
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location: not on view

Download, Print and Share

Did You Know?

This miniature has a companion piece, 1941.562.1, although the relationship to the sitters is unknown.

Description

The sitter wears a wide, white ribbon bandeau in her powdered, curly hair, which falls to her shoulders. She has blue eyes and dark brows; a gold earring is visible in her left ear. The bust line of her white cotton gown is trimmed with many layers of ruffles, and she wears a fichu around her neck and shoulders. The background is very pale, with ivory ground visible, but faintly light blue close to the head. This miniature is probably the pendant to 1941.562.1. The female portrait is slightly larger than the male, and both date from c. 1795, the date at which a British woman would have been wearing this type of ruffled muslin gown and a bandeau in her long hair. It is impossible to know for certain if these unidentified sitters were married, but the fact that they are housed in identical frames, which date from the same period as the paintings, suggests that they are a pair. Although husbands and wives often commissioned portraits in miniature simultaneously, the pairs were frequently divided over time through inheritance, loss, breakage, or independent sale. Both miniatures are housed in identical, wonderfully elaborate period gold frames with braided hairwork. The blue glass back of each has a plait of brown hair in its center. The hair incorporated into the framing of each miniature is approximately the same color, suggesting either that the couple had the same color hair or that the same hair was used in each frame. Traditionally it was the hair of the sitter that was mounted with his or her miniature portrait. They are both unsigned, as was typical for Nathaniel Plimer’s works during this period
Portrait of a Woman

Portrait of a Woman

c. 1795

Nathaniel Plimer

(British, 1757–1822)
England, 18th century

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.