Memorial to Mary Long
1794
Medium
Watercolor on ivory in gold marquise locket
Dimensions
1 3/16 x 3/4 in. (3.1 x 1.9 cm)
Classification
Painting, miniature
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Charles Allen Munn, 1924
Accession Number
24.109.96
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled within an exquisite gold marquise locket, Ramage's *Memorial to Mary Long*1794) is a watercolor miniature on ivory, measuring just 1 3/16 x 3/4 inches. This tiny American gem, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, captures the delicate art of portrait miniatures, a cherished 18th-century tradition for personal remembrance. Scottish-born Ramage, a miniaturist active in New York and Philadelphia specialized in these intimate likenesses, often evoking deep emotion—here, the tags of "Sadness" and "Women" underscore its mournful tone. Painted on ivory, the medium lent a lu...
About the Artist
John Ramage · 1748–1842
Ireland ca. 1748–1802 Montreal