Lady Seated at a Table (recto); Dancing Figures (verso)

George Romney British

Not on view

After three years studying art in Italy, Romney returned to London in 1775 and established himself as a successful portrait painter. He attracted important patrons and charged fees only slightly below those commanded by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough. Romney often made rapid working studies when exploring compositions; here he used pen to define the figure and expressive passages of wash to establish light and shade. Since the sitter is seen in profile writing a letter, she may relate to a contemplated literary subject rather than a portrait. Wishing to extend his range toward history painting, Romney began a series of female figures in the 1780s inspired by characters in poems and novels.

Lady Seated at a Table (recto); Dancing Figures (verso), George Romney (British, Beckside, Lancashire 1734–1802 Kendal, Cumbria), Recto: pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash Verso: black chalk, pen and brown ink

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Lady Seated at a Table (recto); Dancing Figures (verso), George Romney (British, Beckside, Lancashire 1734–1802 Kendal, Cumbria), Recto: pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash Verso: black chalk, pen and brown ink
Lady Seated at a Table (recto); Dancing Figures (verso), George Romney (British, Beckside, Lancashire 1734–1802 Kendal, Cumbria), Recto: pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash Verso: black chalk, pen and brown ink

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.