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The Spanish Girl in Reverie

1831
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 759
When Allston first exhibited this painting at the Boston Athenaeum in 1831, he also displayed his poem that inspired the composition. It told the romantic story of "Sweet Inez," who awaits the return of her lover, Isidore, from war. Allston’s portrayal of the figure is ethereal and luminous, revealing yearning, hope, and fear. Alone in a dramatic setting, she is caught in a moment of reverie. The artist’s approach to the landscape attracted great interest due to its delicate atmospheric effects, created through the meticulous application of glazings of diaphanous color.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Spanish Girl in Reverie
  • Artist: Washington Allston (American, Georgetown, South Carolina 1779–1843 Cambridgeport, Massachusetts)
  • Date: 1831
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Lyman G. Bloomingdale, 1901
  • Object Number: 01.7.2
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

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Outlines and Sketches by Washington Allston
Multiple artists/makers
1850
A Study from Life [and] Study for Angel Releasing Saint Peter from Prison, Washington Allston American, Oil on paperboard, American
A Study from Life [and] Study for Angel Releasing Saint Peter from Prison
Washington Allston
ca. 1815
The Stoning of Saint Stephen, Washington Allston American, Iron-gall ink and white chalk on dark brown laid paper, American
The Stoning of Saint Stephen
Washington Allston
Mountain Lake Scene, John William Casilear American, Oil on canvas, American
Mountain Lake Scene
John William Casilear
1883
The Quartette (Un quatuor), William Dannat American, Oil on canvas, American
The Quartette (Un quatuor)
William Dannat
1884

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