Ann Gibbes
Artist
John Wollaston II
English, active in America, about 1710–1775
Date1767
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionscanvas: 76.4 × 63.8 cm (30 1/16 × 25 1/8 in.)
framed: 91.4 × 79.2 cm (36 × 31 3/16 in.)
framed: 91.4 × 79.2 cm (36 × 31 3/16 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1946.1
Label TextAnn Gibbes (1752-1781) was part of a prominent Charleston, South Carolina, family. They had a large plantation on the Ashley River, a grand house in town, and an enslaved workforce of 90 people. She holds a black masquerade mask—a subtle indication that a portrait constitutes a performance of the sitter's identity. Indeed, her mask, pose, and sumptuous dress trimmed with pearls, lace, and ermine fur are drawn from examples of British portraiture. These "staged" attributes are meant to signal Gibbe's feminine grace, refined taste, and affluence.The British-born Wollaston brought a fashionable London portrait style to America. He was in great demand throughout the colonies and produced nearly 300 portraits for elite patrons.ProvenanceMrs. James Ritchie Sparkman (Mary Elizabeth Heriot) (1827–1912); to her son Edward Heriot Sparkman (1846–1934); to his daughter Mary A. Sparkman, a great-great-great granddaughter of the sitter, who sold it to the Worcester Art Museum in 1946.
On View
On viewCurrent Location
- Exhibition Location Gallery 3003
