Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009281About the Artwork
The Boston painter Copley's virtuosity at rendering luxurious textiles was precisely the kind of talent that appealed to his patrons. In 1769 the prosperous merchant John Greene commissioned a portrait of himself and this portrait of his wife, Catherine (1735–1785), after thirteen years of marriage. Shown at the age of 34, Mrs. Greene wears a fanciful costume inspired by ancient styles, strikes a pose derived from an English engraving, and pretends to lean against a rock that looks as insubstantial as a theatrical prop. This likeness places Mrs. Greene in an ideal realm far removed from mundane matters. The frame is original.
Inscriptions
Signed lower right: "JSCp. 1769 [JSC in monogram]"
Provenance
Margaret Greene Spencer, sister of the sitter; Phebe Greene Ward; John Ward, son of Phebe Greene Ward; Charles Henry Ward, grandnephew of John Ward, inherited in 1866; Mary M. Ward, widow of Charles Henry Ward; (New York sale 1914); (Vose Gallery, Boston: the first painting bought by the Museum, 1915).
Exhibition history
Inaugural Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (co-organizer) (June 6-September 20, 1916). 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). 64th Anniversary of Opening of Gallery. Vose Gallery, Boston, MA (organizer) (March 7-25, 1961). Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991). Turkish Fashion in 18th-century America. Timken Museum of Art, San Diego, CA (organizer) (December 10, 1998-April 11, 1999); Canton Museum of Art, Canton, OH (April 25-June 13, 1999). CMA @ Oberlin - American Portraits. Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (August 29-December 17, 2006).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- John Singleton Copley (American, born The Thirteen Colonies, 1738–1815)
- Date
- 1769
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 145.5 x 121 x 7 cm (57 5/16 x 47 5/8 x 2 3/4 in.); Unframed: 125.7 x 101 cm (49 1/2 x 39 3/4 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- American Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
- Accession no.
- 1915.527
More by John Singleton Copley in museum collections
Open-access museum record · AT-00009281
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