Portrait of Mrs. Samuel Hill (Miriam Kilby) - John Singleton Copley

Hyperrealism 1967-2012
<exchanging gazes> 5

Hyperrealism. 1967-2012

22 March to 9 June 2013

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Autor:: Tom Blackwell
Título:: Triumph Trumpet (detail)
Fecha:: 1977

Técnica:: Oil on canvas
Medidas:: 180 x 180 cm.
Ubicacion:: Private Collection, New York.
image © Tom Blackwell photo © Louis K. Meisel Gallery, New York

<exchanging gazes> 5: Interior Scenes. Women and Daily Life.

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From 26 February to 10 June 2013

Autor:: Nicolas Maes
Título:: The Naughty Drummer
Fecha:: c. 1655

Técnica:: Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid. Nr. INV. 241 (1930.56)

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Portrait of Mrs. Samue...

Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection

Autor:: John Singleton Copley
Título:: Portrait of Mrs. Samuel Hill (Miriam Kilby)
Fecha:: ca. 1764

Técnica:: Oil on canvas
Medidas:: 128.4 x 102 cm
Úbicacion:: Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
Numero de inventario: INV. Nr. 98 (1982.9)

Portrait of Mrs. Samuel Hill (Miriam Kilby), John Singleton Copley

More information about this work

In this almost full-length portrait, the imposing figure of Miriam Kilby (1696–1765), wife of the Boston merchant Samuel Hill, dominates most of the canvas. The very sober setting is based on a few elements such as the simple red curtain in the background and the books on the table by which she poses. The brilliant white of her muslin headdress, the scarf on her shoulders and the frills on her sleeves is set off by the predominantly reddish and brownish tones of the composition. Unlike other portraits by Copley in which the sitter usually holds some object, Mrs Hill’s hands are clasped together and rest placidly on her lap, affording her pose greater dignity and indicating her austere, calm nature

It. was in this period that Copley began to portray mature women with penetrating gazes that reveal their personality. Miriam Kilby, who was approaching seventy at the time her portrait was painted, conveys an impression of strength and authority. As John IH. Baur pointed out, her features suggest “a sceptical, worldly personality modified, one would say, by a certain humor, or at least tolerance”

Paloma. Alarcó

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