ticketsMember | Make a donation

Seventeenth Century Lady

ca. 1895
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
A consummate eclectic, Chase borrowed freely from old masters such as Frans Hals, Rembrandt van Rijn, and Diego Velázquez, and from contemporaries such as Édouard Manet, James McNeill Whistler, and John Singer Sargent. Here, he refers in the title of his painting to tradition, but shows a woman dressed in modern attire. She is seen from behind in a dark, ambiguous setting that is pierced by a sliver of light that suggests a slightly opened door. Uninterested in his model's particular identity, Chase calls attention to her gown, which he describes with expressive brushwork and subtle tones of white. Chase had painted a full-length portrait of his wife entitled Lady in White (1894; private collection), of which a critic observed when it appeared at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts: "It is little more than a study of a white satin dress against a dark background, for her face is turned from the spectator." The same could be said for this painting.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Seventeenth Century Lady
  • Artist: William Merritt Chase (American, Williamsburg, Indiana 1849–1916 New York)
  • Date: ca. 1895
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 36 1/2 x 23 3/4in. (92.7 x 60.3cm)
  • Credit Line: George A. Hearn Fund, 1906
  • Object Number: 06.1220
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Portrait of Daniel M. Tredwell
William Merritt Chase
19th–20th century
Portrait of a Man, XVII Century Style
William Merritt Chase
19th–20th century
Son of Carl von Piloty
William Merritt Chase
19th–20th century
Portrait of Daniel M. Tredwell
William Merritt Chase
Daniel Melancthon Tredwell
n.d.
Bust of a man wearing squared white collar and facing three-quarters to the left
William Merritt Chase
mid-to late 19th century

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.