Thursday, June 25, 2009

John Everett Millais - Clarissa


1887
oil on canvas
signed with monogram and dated 18JM87 l.l.
57 3/4 x 37"
This is a portrait of the artists daughter Sophie wearing a dress of the 1770's and loosely based on a picture of Gainsborough's - though the character is from Samuel Richardson's novel of the same name. The torn letter refers to the style of the novel, which was epistolatory in form.
The picture was owned by J. Staat Forbes a keen collector (he had over 3000 pictures by his death in 1904).

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