Joshua Reynolds, Portrait of Mrs. George Collier
Wade, 1920.514 · The Cleveland Museum of Art, Open Access (CC0)View original →
Joshua Reynolds

Portrait of Mrs. George Collier

18th century

Current Collection

Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
80 × 67.3 cm
Status
In Museum Collection
Collect24 Art ID
C24-110786

Given to the Cleveland Museum in 1920 by the collector Jeptha H. Wade, this painting was thought to be an authentic work by Joshua Reynolds. However, after considerable study, the museum attributed it to a follower of Reynolds working in a similar style around the same time. This portrait depicts the wife of the captain (and later admiral) George Collier. The artist draws an analogy between this woman and Lesbia, a married woman who provided much artistic inspiration for the Roman poet Catullus (c. 84–c. 54 BC). The poet's writings document a love affair with Lesbia, and one poem in particula…

Provenance

Wade, 1920.514

Registry history

  • 18th century — Recorded in the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

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Auction history

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