Mar 18
The Dutton Family in the Drawing Room of Sherborne Park, Gloucestershire
Artist: Johann Zoffany (German, 1733–1810)
Date: c. 1772
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Description
This type of picture, known as a conversation piece, was invented in England in the 1700s and popular for the informal way it represented families. A father and daughter, mother and son, are strategizing over the next hand in a game of cards. The family recently lost a loved one, so the parents are dressed in full mourning (black clothing), and the siblings in lesser mourning (mauve, white, and gray).
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