Public data from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Learn more
About the Artwork
The sitter married Sir John Read in 1774, who also sat for a portrait by the artist in 1788. Born in Lancashire, Romney first apprenticed in his father’s cabinetmaker’s shop. He worked in the north of England until 1762, when he settled in London. There he became a successful portraitist, alongside Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough. As with many successful portraitists, his heart lay elsewhere and he dreamed of making history paintings, but his plans for grandiose compositions rarely advanced beyond drawings.
Provenance
Sir John Chandos Reade (the sitter's son) Shipton Court (sale: Christie's London, 13 July 1895, no. 14) (A. Tooth, London, 1895) Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade Sir John Chandos Reade, Seventh Bart. (1785-1868), Shipton Court, Axon, England (sold, Christie’s, London, July 13, 1895, no. 14, to Tooth and Sons, London); Tooth and Sons (London, England), sold to Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Wade, 1895 1895-1916 Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Wade (Gates Mills, Ohio), by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1916. 1916-: 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 Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941). British Gallery Reinstallation (June 2020). The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- George Romney (British, 1734–1802)
- Date
- c. 1778–1780
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 102 x 89 x 10.5 cm (40 3/16 x 35 1/16 x 4 1/8 in.); Unframed: 69.8 x 59 cm (27 1/2 x 23 1/4 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade
- Accession no.
- 1916.1041
More by George Romney in museum collections
Portrait of a Mother and Her Son (Probably Jane, Duchess of Gordon, and her Son George, First Marquess of Huntley)
George Romneyc. 1778 · Drawing
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00009921
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