Artwork
Elizabeth Meyrick, née Keppel (d.1821)
Elizabeth Meyrick, née Keppel (d.1821) is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Joshua Reynolds. It dates from 1792 and is held in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum.
About this work
This painting depicts a woman in a black and white dress, adorned with a large hat and a dark ribbon around her neck.
This painting depicts a woman in a black and white dress, adorned with a large hat and a dark ribbon around her neck. Her curly hair is styled in an updo, and she wears a white ruffled collar and a black jacket with a bow at the front. The background features a landscape with trees and a cloudy sky.
The woman's attire and hairstyle suggest a formal or elegant setting, possibly from the 18th century. The artist's use of color and composition creates a sense of depth and dimensionality in the painting.
To learn more about the artist behind this work, look up Joshua Reynolds.
Overview
Joshua Reynolds painted this portrait of Elizabeth Meyrick, born Keppel, in 1792. The work presents the sitter in a formal ensemble, set against a softly rendered landscape with trees and a cloud‑filled sky. Executed in oil on canvas, the composition balances the figure’s dark attire with lighter accents, creating a measured sense of volume and space.
Subject & Meaning
Elizabeth Meyrick, who died in 1821, is shown in a black and white dress, a large hat, and a dark ribbon at her throat. Her hair is arranged in an up‑do, and a white ruffled collar frames her face. The dignified pose and refined accessories reflect the social standing and genteel self‑presentation expected of a woman of her class in late‑eighteenth‑century England.
Technique & Style
Reynolds employs a restrained palette, juxtaposing deep blacks with crisp whites, while the surrounding foliage is rendered in muted greens and blues. His handling of light models the fabrics and the sitter’s features, giving the portrait a three‑dimensional quality. Though often associated with the Grand Style, the work also incorporates Rococo touches in its graceful lines and decorative elements.
History & Provenance
The portrait entered the Ashmolean Museum’s collection, where it remains on display. Reynolds, a founder and first president of the Royal Academy of Arts, created the piece during the height of his career, shortly after being knighted by George III. The painting has been documented as part of the museum’s holdings since the early twentieth century.
Context
Created at a time when English portraiture emphasized idealized representation, the work reflects Reynolds’s advocacy for a ‘Grand Style’ that combined classical composure with contemporary fashion. The sitter’s attire and the landscape background echo the period’s taste for elegant yet naturalistic settings, situating the portrait within the broader trends of late Georgian aristocratic portraiture.
Artist & collection
Artist
Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits.
