Description: Framed oil portrait of a young girl with long brown ringlets and wearing a light brown dress with a low neck, which may have been done by Jeremiah Theus (1716-1774). Born in Switzerland, the Theus family moved to South Carolina in 1735, and Jeremiah Theus was in Charleston by 1740 where he advertised himself as a limner and became extremely successful. The majority of his portraits are bust-length works, approximately30"y by 25" at their largest. Hallmarks of his style include close-set eyes, long noses, full lips, and dimpled chins. There is some evidence that he attempted to work from life when painting his subjects' faces, adding details of costume later in his studio. Costume remains the dominant focus of most of his portraits; he took greater care in depicting the colorful details and trimming of clothing than in showing his sitters' faces. Many of his female sitters share identical poses and elements of costume, down to the folds and shadows in their dresses; each work is individualized with minor changes to various details.
Tags: portraits Subjects: Portraits; Canvas Link to share this object record: https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+61.067 |