Cleveland Museum of Art

Portrait of Mary Anne Jolliffe

Gainsborough Dupont

Date

after 1788

Medium

oil on canvas

Culture

England, 18th century

Department

European Painting and Sculpture

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The only assistant his famous uncle ever had, Gainsborough Dupont apprenticed with Thomas Gainsborough before setting up his own studio. It is often difficult to distinguish the late works of both artists. This painting is among Dupont’s best portraits. He captures the beauty of his sitter with soft, flickering brushstrokes, detailing her frilly collar and impressive hairstyle, curled and powdered according to the current style. This portrait originally hung alongside that of her husband Thomas in the drawing room of the couple’s home, Ammerdown House in Somerset, where Thomas’s portrait still hangs today. Gainsborough Dupont was the only assistant that his famous uncle Thomas Gainsborough ever took.

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