Mrs. John Dart
ca. 1772–74
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1967
Accession Number
67.268.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Mrs. John Dart** (ca. 1772–74) is a striking oil-on-canvas portrait by Jeremiah Theus, a Swiss-born artist who became one of colonial America's leading portraitists after settling in Charleston, South Carolina. Capt the poised elegance of its sitter—a woman of evident refinement—this 30 x 25-inch work exemplifies the refined portraiture favored by the Southern planter class and merchants on the cusp of the American Revolution. Theus's style draws from European Rococo traditions, evident in the soft lighting, delicate drapery, and subtle modeling of the face and attire, all rendered with the...