Isabella Carr, later Countess of Erroll
Artist
Sir Joshua Reynolds
(British, 1723–1792)
Dateabout 1761
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionscanvas: 76.2 x 63.5 cm (30 x 25 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Howard Whiteside, in memory of her grandmother, Mrs. Catherine Lasell Whitin
Object number1989.165
Label TextExcept for a tour of the continent between 1749 and 1752 and a trip to Flanders and Holland in 1781, Reynolds spent most of his life in London where he was well recognized both as a painter and an authority on the history of British painting. He was the inevitable choice as first President of the Royal Academy on its foundation in 1768.
Reynolds’ idealized style of portraiture, derived from Flemish and Italian masters, suited the tastes and demands of Britain’s ruling class. This portrait is thought to have been painted early in his career, around 1761. After 1768, Reynolds was less prolific and used many assistants in completing his growing list of portrait commissions.
This painting was brought from England to America in the late nineteenth century by Mrs. Catharine Lasell Whitin, who had married into the family for whom the town of Whitinsville is named. It was her granddaughter, Elisabeth Whiteside, who donated the painting to the Museum a century later.
ProvenanceMrs. Howard Whiteside, 79 Hillside St., Milton, MA 02186On View
Not on view
