John Singleton Copley
(American, 1738-1815)


Portrait of a Lady (1771).
Oil on canvas. LACMA.

Copley’s portraits of the early 1770s are sober. As in Portrait of a Lady, the subject usually is posed before a vacant, dark background.

A strong light partially illuminates the figure, which is otherwise enveloped by shadows. An almost stark simplicity gives the portrait at once a greater sense of sculptural form and a tougher, more forceful realism.

Although the setting of the portrait is simple, it contains a prominent note of luxury and even ostentation.


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