Portrait of a Lady
Medium
Watercolor on ivory
Dimensions
2 3/4 x 2 3/16 in. (7 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
2006.235.31
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the intimate world of early 19th-century portraiture with *Portrait of a Lady* by Louis Antoine Collas, painted in 1816. This delicate watercolor on ivory measures a mere 2 3/4 x 2 3/16 inches (7 x 5.5 cm), capturing the poised elegance of an unidentified woman. Such miniatures were cherished personal treasures, often framed in jewelry like lockets or brooches, serving as tokens of affection for loved ones during an era of expanding American identity. The watercolor-on-ivory medium was a hallmark of the period's miniaturists, prized for its luminous translucency and ability to rende...