Mrs. Sheridan as 'St. Cecilia'

Dickinson, William (1747-1823)

Reynolds, Joshua (1723-1792) (after a work of)


Item type:
print
Date of creation:
1776
Technique / Medium:
mezzotint (first state) on medium, slightly textured, cream laid paper

Additional titles

Elizabeth Ann Sheridan (née Linley) as St Cecilia

    Item location

  • Yale Center for British Art
    Paul Mellon Fund[Museum inv. no.: B1970.3.245]Inscribed in graphite, lower center: "Mrs Sheridan"; collectors mark stamped on verso in black ink, lower left: oval with dragon image; lettered below image lower left: "Painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds"; below image lower right: "Engraved by W. Dickinson"; lower center: "London Publish'd May 21st 1776. by W. Dickinson Henrietta Street Covent Garden & Tho.s Watson N, 142 New Bond Street"

  • National Portrait Gallery (London)
    [Museum inv. no.: NPG D40701]Inscribed below image: "Mrs. Sheridan as St. Cecilia"

Description

An attractive young lady is seated on a low (child-sized?) footstool and playing a single-manual keyboard instrument with organ pipes and an open music book visible; beside her are two angels (children--perhaps her own?--one with wings visible) singing from another open music book; clouds pierced by heavenly rays of light roll in from the upper left of the scene.

People as subjects

St. Cecilia (Musician portrait)
Linley, Elizabeth Ann (1754-1792) (Musician portrait)

Iconclass

11HH(CECILIA)111
St. Cecilia making music and/or singing
48C723
portrait of a musician
48C7523
one person playing keyboard instrument
48C7334
organ
11G21
angels singing, making music
26A
clouds
22C32
light shining out of the heavens
43C7433
children singing

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Positive organ [2268] (single manual continuo organ)

Musical works

illegible music notation

RIdIM images


Yale Center for British Art

Image URLs

image link 1
Yale Center for British Art
image link 3
National Portrait Gallery (London)
image link 4
Yale online exhibit, Art and Music in Britain

RIdIM record id

6291