Mrs. Katherine Matthews 1812 - 1813

Thomas Sully painted this portrait of Mrs. Katherine Matthews using oil on canvas. The composition emphasizes the sitter's face, framed by a delicate white bonnet, which draws our attention immediately. The soft, diffused light gently models her features, creating a sense of serene presence. The dark background and the texture of the fur stole provide a rich contrast, highlighting the smoothness of her skin. Sully’s brushstrokes are loose and painterly, yet they carefully capture the textures of the fabrics and the fur. Consider how the fur wrap, a marker of status, is rendered with such tactile quality, and how the delicate lace bonnet adds to the sitter's refined appearance. The portrait not only captures the likeness of Mrs. Matthews but also evokes a sense of her social standing through carefully chosen details and painterly execution. These formal elements combine to create a statement about the sitter’s identity, as well as reflect the artistic conventions of portraiture during this period.