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Paintings

The Hon. Theresa Parker, later the Hon. Theresa Villiers

Type
Paintings(Opens in new tab)
Date
1787
Accession number
26.85
Maker
Joshua Reynolds(Opens in new tab) (British, 1723–1792)
Sitter
Hon. Theresa Parker, later Hon. Theresa Villiers(Opens in new tab) (British, 1775–1856)
Dimensions
30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm.)
Medium
oil on canvas
Description
As a child, standing nearly half-length, profile right, her bare right forearm seen. Short face, with tiptilted nose, light-brown hair in curls round the neck and with a square fringe. She wears a high mobcap of spotted muslin trimmed with quilled white ribbon, and a low-ribbon are pink. Background of blue, clouded sky and landscape with threes.
Credit
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
Department
European Art
Find out more
View in the Art Museum catalog(Opens in new tab)
In this portrait, Reynolds depicts Theresa Parker in a remarkably direct, matter-of-fact manner. He paints her fashionable clothing with uncharacteristic specificity. The impression of truthful, unmediated observation carries through to the unconventional presentation of the sitter, with not only the head but also the body in severe profile. This mode of presentation demystifies the girl rather than romanticizing her, laying out her features with stark clarity.

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