Sarah Kilby
Artist: John Greenwood (American, 1729-1792)
Date: about 1752
Dimensions:
H: 49 13/16 in. (126.5 cm); W: 40 in. (101.6 cm)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott
Object number: 1951.296
Label Text:Sarah Kilby (1732-1779) was the daughter of wealthy Boston merchant Christopher Kilby and Sarah Clark Kilby. Her pose resembles that of a portrait by the British artist Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723), whose work was known in America through prints based on his paintings. For a busy portrait artist like John Greenwood, it was not uncommon to have “pre-painted” the body with a pose and costume based on a print sent from England. When a client commissioned a portrait, they could choose the pose and costume they preferred and perhaps suggest some details. The artist then painted the client’s head, creating a likeness in the latest British fashion—even if that individual may never have worn those clothes, sat in that location, or even have been to England! See a portrait of Sarah Kilby’s mother-in-law, Mrs. Cunningham, nearby.
On view
In Collection(s)