Description
John Singleton Copley’s Mrs. John Winthrop sits in a blue gown with white cuffs and an elaborate cap, her hands near the round table in front of her. The dark background brings the face, fabric and fruit into clear relief. The richly observed setting gives the portrait a domestic scale, while the sitter’s steady presence holds the varied materials and objects together.
Painted in 1773 in oil on canvas, the portrait identifies Hannah Winthrop, whose family was known for cultivating rare fruit. The Metropolitan Museum of Art explains that the nectarines she holds connect the likeness with that interest. Copley’s careful rendering of the damask chair and reflective mahogany table adds further specificity, making the surrounding furnishings and fruit part of an individual portrait rather than anonymous decoration.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the John Singleton Copley collection.
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