Portrait of Catherine Grey, Lady Manners1794 · Study 1961.220

Context from the museum

The Irish poet Lady Manners rejected as “unflattering” this portrait representing her as the goddess Juno, symbolized here by the peacock. Thomas Lawrence exhibited the painting at the Royal Academy in 1794 with the label “to be disposed of [sold],” but it was still in the artist’s collection when he died. Though it offended Lady Manners, the painting displays all the hallmarks of Lawrence’s flamboyant style:dazzling, fluid brushwork and an innovative use of unconventional colors that helped secure his role as the most fashionable portrait painter in turn-of-the-century Britain.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

Catherine was an Irish poet who wrote of longing to escape the fashionable world.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Portrait of Catherine Grey, Lady Manners is 158 cm wide and 255.3 cm high, equivalent to approximately 62.2 × 100.5 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.62:1. The rectangular bounding area is 4.03 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 52.7% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 71.0 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Portrait of Catherine Grey, Lady Manners in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on canvas, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 158 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?