Family Group of Four on Sofa
This family portrait resembles a number of similar works by an unknown Northeastern artist. The costumes, coiffures and Empire sofa help date the picture to the 1830s. Like most country or folk artists, the painter concentrated on getting close likenesses of his subjects with little attempt at embellishment. Each family member stares off toward a different point, the children's vacant expressions perhaps indicating their boredom at posing. Calculated to present the family at its best, the artist has carefully indicated such details as the lace, the wood grain and the sofa upholstery. The awkward cropping of the children's bodies was once attributed to the cutting down of the canvas; examination has disproved this, rendering it likely that the children were simply later additions to their parents' meticulously painted portraits.
Artwork Details
- Title: Family Group of Four on Sofa
- Date: ca. 1830s
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 36 x 52 1/4 in. (91.4 x 132.7 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1970
- Object Number: 1970.283.4
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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