Linen Market, Dominica
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The Italian-born painter Brunias traveled to the British West Indies in 1764 at the invitation of the colonial governor. Drawing upon his travels, Brunias later produced highly idealized images of everyday life in the Caribbean that appealed to the enslavers and colonial officials who employed him. At the same time, his paintings reveal the emergence of a complex, multiracial society with distinct cultural practices. In this market scene, for example, women of varying backgrounds have all adopted the head wrap, a distinctly Caribbean fashion with African origins.
Artwork Details
- Title: Linen Market, Dominica
- Artist: Agostino Brunias (Italian, Rome ca. 1730–1796 Roseau, Dominica)
- Date: ca. 1780
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 19 5/8 × 27 in. (49.8 × 68.6 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings