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Marianne Dorothy Harland (1759–1785), Later Mrs. William Dalrymple

Not on view
When this portrait was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1779, an art critic decried Cosway’s “painful and minute attention to little Circumstances,” which gave his work “a coxcomical and ridiculous air.” Indeed, the painting reveals Cosway’s minute attention to the furnishing of a fashionable, feminine interior, emphasizing such features as the dressing table bearing a pincushion, scent bottles, and a powder puff. Cosway shows his sitter, the daughter of a British vice admiral, in informal morning dress, as though receiving an intimate visitor. The harp Marianne Harland plays was closely associated with accomplished female amateurs, appearing, for example, in the work of Jane Austen.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Marianne Dorothy Harland (1759–1785), Later Mrs. William Dalrymple
  • Artist: Richard Cosway (British, Oakford, Devon 1742–1821 London)
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 28 x 36 1/8 in. (71.1 x 91.8 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. William M. Haupt, from the collection of Mrs. James B. Haggin, 1969
  • Object Number: 69.104
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Richard and Maria Cosway
Multiple artists/makers
1784
Ensign Lionel Robert Tollemache (1774–1793), Richard Cosway British, Ivory
Ensign Lionel Robert Tollemache (1774–1793)
Richard Cosway
Cupid and Minerva, Richard Cosway British, Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, over graphite
Cupid and Minerva
Richard Cosway
1788
Lavinia, Countess Spencer as Juno, Richard Cosway British, Graphite
Lavinia, Countess Spencer as Juno
Richard Cosway
Lavinia Spencer, Countess Spencer
ca. 1806
Mrs. Robinson as Perdita, Richard Cosway British, Graphite, blue chalk, and watercolor, with touches of gouache (bodycolor)
Mrs. Robinson as Perdita
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1779

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