Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009167British Manufactory; A Sketch
About the Artwork
As part of his work for the British court, Benjamin West produced several compositions celebrating the strength of the nation's economy. In this example, women in classical costumes paint vases, spin, and weave—a comparison of British manufacturing with the accomplishments of antiquity. One of a series of nine related sketches, this design was copied as a large mural decorating the Queen's Lodge at Windsor Castle, a room eliminated by remodeling in 1823.
Inscriptions
signed lower center: B. West 1791
Provenance
Raphael L. West [1769-1850] and Benjamin West, Jr. [1772-1849], the artist's sons, by descent 1829: (London sale, 1829) 1878: Mrs. S.J. Tuttle, Boston, MA, 1878 1919: (William Macbeth Gallery, New York, NY, 1919, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1919-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 26-October 4, 1936). The World of Benjamin West. Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA (organizer) (May 1-July 31, 1962). The Age of Neoclassicism. Arts Council of Great Britain (organizer) (September 7-November 19, 1972). Zwei Jahrhunderk Englische Malerei (British Painting and the European Continent). Haus der Kunst, Munich, Munich, Germany (organizer) (November 20, 1979-January 27, 1980). British Gallery Reinstallation (June 2020). The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Benjamin West (American, born The Thirteen Colonies, 1738–1820)
- Date
- 1791
- Medium
- oil on paper mounted on wood
- Dimensions
- Framed: 67.4 x 80 x 5.2 cm (26 9/16 x 31 1/2 x 2 1/16 in.); Unframed: 51 x 65 cm (20 1/16 x 25 9/16 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- American Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
- Accession no.
- 1919.1018
More by Benjamin West in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00009167
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