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Mrs. Jerathmael Bowers

ca. 1763
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 723
Mary Sherburne (1735–1799) was the daughter of Joseph Sherburne (23.143) by his marriage to Mary Watson in 1734. As her father's sole heir, she received a substantial fortune. In 1763, she married Jerathmael Bowers, a wealthy and prominent Quaker living in Swansea, Massachusetts. They had one son and three daughters. This portrait is based on a British mezzotint by James McArdell, after a portrait of Lady Caroline Russell painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1759. Copley followed this model with precision, substituting the face of the sitter for that of Lady Russell. Tradition has it that the portrait was painted about the time of the sitter's marriage in 1763. The frame of the painting is thought to be the original.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Mrs. Jerathmael Bowers
  • Artist: John Singleton Copley (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1738–1815 London)
  • Date: ca. 1763
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 49 7/8 x 39 3/4 in. (126.7 x 101 cm)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1915
  • Object Number: 15.128
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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