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Painting (Portrait)
Magdalena Douw (Mrs. Harme Gansevoort)
John Heaton
1737-1740
Description
This portrait of Magdalena Douw (1718-1797), painted before her wedding to Harmen Gansevoort in 1740, exemplifies the style of the Hudson Valley Patroon Painters, considered America’s first native painting school. John Heaton employed linear style, bright contrasting colors, and classical architectural surroundings, which conjure the art of Dutch Bibles and medieval religious scenes. At a time of increasing British influence in Albany, Magdalena's upturned red shoes and patterned brocade gown reflect her access to the latest fashions from London, while her cap and choker emphasize her Dutch heritage. The baroque tea table and the inclusion of tropical fruits suggest connections to a vast global trade network.
Category
Paintings
Creator/Artist/Maker
John Heaton (Painter)
Place of Origin
New York; Hudson Valley; United States; North America
Materials
- Oil paint
- Linen
Museum Object Number
1963.0852 A
Credit Line/Donor
Gift of Henry Francis du Pont
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Complete Details
Object Number
1963.0852 A
Object Name
Painting (Portrait)
Title
Magdalena Douw (Mrs. Harme Gansevoort)
Category
Paintings
Creator (Role)
John Heaton (Painter)
Place of Origin
New York; Hudson Valley; United States; North America
Date
1737-1740
Subject(s)
- Portrait
Materials
- Oil paint
- Linen
Techniques
- Painted
Dimensions (inches)
51.625 (H) x 33 (W)
Dimensions (centimeters)
131.127 (H) x 83.82 (W)
Measurement Notes
H at proper right stretcher. W at bottom stretcher.
Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes
Book: Blackburn, Roderic H. & Piwonka, Ruth. 1988 Remembrance of Patria: Dutch Arts and Culture in Colonial America, 1609-1776. 318 p.
• Published as cat. no. 237, pp. 119-29, 196, ill. on cover and p. 196.Book: Kenney, Alice P. 1969 The Gansevoorts of Albany: Dutch patricians in the upper Hudson Valley.
• pp. 37-41; 167-168Book: Richardson, Edgar P. 1986 American Paintings and Related Pictures in the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum.
• Published as cat. no. 11, pp. 18-20.Article: Wheeler, Robert G. "The Albany of Magdalena Douw". Winterthur Portfolio. 4
• Published as fig. 1, p. 64.Article: Black, Mary Childs. 1980 "Contributions toward a History of Early Eighteenth-Century Portraiture: Identification of the Aetatis Suae and Wendell Limners". The American Art Journal. 12 (4): pp. 5-31.
Article: Black, Mary Childs. "Remembrances of the Dutch Homeland in Early New York Provincial Painting,", in Blackburn, Roderic H. & Kelley, Nancy A. New World Dutch Studies: Dutch Arts and Culture in Colonial America, 1609-1776. pp. 119-129.
Article: Black, Mary Childs. "Between the Rivers: The tradition of Itinerant Painting Arrives", in Heslip, Colleen Cowles & Black, Mary Childs. Between the Rivers: Itinerant Painters from the Connecticut to the Hudson. pp. 10-18.
• Published as fig. 2, p. 12.Article: Black, Mary Childs. 11//1969 The Gansevoort Limner. Antiques. 96 (5): 738-44.
• Listed on check list, p. 738.Book: Ebert, John & Ebert, Katherine. 1975 American Folk Painters. 225 p.
• Published on p. 23Book: Flexner, James Thomas. 1947 American Painting: First Flowers of our Wilderness.
• pp. 52-89Book: Groft, Tammis K. & Mackay, Mary Alice. 1998 Albany Institute of History and Art: 200 years of collecting.
Book: Piwonka, Ruth & Blackburn, Roderic H. A Remnant in the Wilderness: New York Dutch Scripture History Paintings of the Early Eighteenth Century.
Book: Talcott, Sebastian Visscher. 1883 Genealogical Notes of New York and New England Families.
• p. 69Book: Vlach, John Michael. 1988 Plain Painters: Making Sense of American Folk Art.
Book: Cooper, Wendy A. 2002 An American Vision: Henry Francis du Pont's Winterthur Museum.
• Published as fig. 21, pp. 47-8.Book: Belknap, Waldron Phoenix. 1959 American Colonial Painting: Materials for a History.
• Listed as no. 4, pl. 72.Article: Sweeney, John A. H. 11//1971 Paintings in the Winterthur Collection. Antiques. 100 (5): 758-767.
• Published as fig. no. 7, p. 763.Article: Shephard, Norma. 12//2010 Shoes in Colonial America. Early American Life Magazine. 6-17.
• p. 6Book: Milroy, Elizabeth. 2016 The Grid and the River: Histories of Philadelphia's Green Places, 1682-1876.
Book: Richman, Irwin & Emery, Michael B. 2013 Fruit in Graphic Art.