Portrait of a Girl
Medium
Watercolor on ivory
Dimensions
2 11/16 x 2 3/16 in. (6.9 x 5.5 cm)
Classification
Painting, miniature
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Dale T. Johnson Fund, 2006
Accession Number
2006.235.152
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 18th century, the young United States forged its identity after the Revolution, intimate miniature portraits like *Portrait of a Girl* (1797) by Philippe Peticolas captured the elegance and innocence of American youth. This exquisite watercolor on ivory, measuring just 2 11/16 x 2 3/16 inches, exemplifies the artist's skill in rendering lifelike details on a tiny, luminous surface. Peticolas a French-born painter active in Philadelphia and Richmond Virginia, specialized in these jewel-like works, which were often worn as lockets or brooches by affluent families as cherished keepsak...