Mrs. William Hartigan
1787/1796
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 77 x 64 cm (30 5/16 x 25 3/16 in.) framed: 94 x 81.3 x 6.2 cm (37 x 32 x 2 7/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Accession Number
1942.8.15
Art Historical Context
**Mrs. William Hartigan** (1787/1796) is a poised portrait by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik von Breda capturing the refined elegance of its sitter, the wife of William Hartigan. Von Breda, a leading neoclassical painter trained in Stockholm and London, excelled in formal likenesses that blended Swedish precision with British portrait traditions influenced by masters like Joshua Reynolds. This oil on canvas work, measuring 77 x 64 cm, exemplifies the medium's enduring appeal for elite commissions: its smooth layering of pigments allowed for luminous skin tones, intricate fabrics, and subtle model...