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The Silver Goblet

Object Details

Exhibition Label
Born Atlanta, Georgia
Lucy May Stanton is best known for her impressionistic portrait miniatures. She lived mostly in Georgia, but she studied art in Paris and was well known in the art centers of New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston. In this portrait, Stanton presents herself in a forthright, no-nonsense pose, displaying her virtuosity in handling watercolor. She followed the traditional technique of roughening the surface of the ivory so that pigment would adhere to it but then tilted her work board to move the flow of the washes. In "puddling," an innova- tive wet-on-wet technique, she allowed broad pools of color to shift over the surface and then dry, leaving a rich texture.
Lucy May Stanton tiene fama sobre todo por sus retratos impresionistas en miniatura. Vivió casi siempre en Georgia, pero estudió arte en París y fue muy conocida en los centros de arte de Nueva York, Filadelfia y Boston. En este retrato se presenta en una pose directa y seria, desplegando su virtuosismo en el manejo de la acuarela. La artista empleaba la técnica tradicional de lijar un poco el marfil para que el pigmento se adhiriera, pero entonces inclinaba la tabla de trabajo para hacer fluir las aguadas. Con una novel técnica de "mojado sobre mojado" aplicaba las aguadas por zonas, como amplios charcos de color que dejaba moverse por la superficie y secarse, dejando una rica textura.
Provenance
Mrs. Edward C. Loughlin, Chattanooga; gift 1972 to NPG.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Artist
Lucy May Stanton, 22 May 1875 - 19 Mar 1931
Sitter
Lucy May Stanton, 22 May 1875 - 19 Mar 1931
Date
1912
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Mrs. Edward C. Loughlin
Medium
Watercolor on ivory
Dimensions
Ivory: 13.7 x 9.5cm (5 3/8 x 3 3/4")
Frame: 24.6 x 27.9 x 3.2cm (9 11/16 x 11 x 1 1/4"), Accurate
Type
Painting

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