Painting: "Lady Seated at Table"

Dateca. 1750

Artist Arthur Devis (1712-1787)

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsH: 27" W: 24 1/2"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1936-677,A&B

DescriptionPortrait of a lady in an ochre dress with turquoise and lace details seated at a table. She looks to the viewer and holds a small, incomplete painting. A collection of painting materials, including pigments, brushes, and pieces of paper, sit on the table in front of her. On the left of the canvas, several vases and small sculptures sit on a mantle, and parts of three paintings peek into the composition. A clock hangs on the wall behind the woman.Inscription(s)Inscribed in the lower right corner, parallel to one of the feet of the tripod table, is: "ADevis [fecit?]". The name is distinct, but the remainder is not and could include a date.ProvenanceBefore 1936, unknown; 1936 (Thomas Agnew & Sons, Ltd., London, England); 1936-present, purchase of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.