Woman with a Spaniel

Maker Thomas Gainsborough (British, 1727-1788)

Collections

ClassificationsPAINTINGS

Dateca. 1749

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensions30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm.)

DescriptionWoman seated full length to the right of the picture in a landscape. A spaniel dog is seated at her feet to the left. Dressed in pink silk dress with white ruffles at sleeve openings, white mob cap. Holding a book in proper left hand, resting proper right arm on the protruding root of a tree just behind her. Grass and rocks in foreground. Small pond to the left. Rustic fence just below tree in middle ground. Fields and sky in distance.

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Label TextPortraiture provided Gainsborough’s livelihood, but landscapes were his passion. He explored both interests in this early painting celebrating the delights of rural life. An elegantly attired woman, accompanied by her attentive dog, strikes a formal pose in a rustic setting. The young Gainsborough is also exploring style: the pastel colors and undulating, sinuous lines are derived from French rococo art.

Status

On view

Object number47.1