The Dutton Family in the Drawing Room of Sherborne Park, Gloucestershire
This type of picture, known as a conversation piece, was invented in England in the 1700s and popular for the informal way it represented families. A father and daughter, mother and son, are strategizing over the next hand in a game of cards. The family recently lost a loved one, so the parents are dressed in full mourning (black clothing), and the siblings in lesser mourning (mauve, white, and gray).
Colors in this work
Details
- Date
- c. 1772
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- unframed: height 1.015 m, width 1.27 m; framed: height 1.245 m, width 1.499 m, depth 0.076 m
- Origin
- England
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Palette
-
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- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
10 tags
Subject Matter
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Family Metadata · 99%
The Cleveland Museum of Art describes the work as an informal conversation piece representing the Dutton family, including a father and daughter and a mother and son.
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Group Portrait Both · 99%
The image shows four related figures gathered around a card table, and the catalog identifies them as members of the Dutton family.
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Interiors Both · 99%
The figures are shown in a furnished drawing room; the title specifically identifies the setting as the drawing room of Sherborne Park, Gloucestershire.
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Scenes of Everyday Life Both · 97%
The scene centers on an informal family card game, with cards visible in the figures’ hands and on the table; the catalog characterizes the work as an informal family conversation piece.
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Mourning and Commemoration Metadata · 98%
The catalog states that the family had recently lost a loved one and that the parents wear full mourning while the siblings wear lesser mourning.
Visual Qualities
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Highly Detailed Visual · 94%
The image contains carefully rendered furnishings, costumes, framed artworks, architectural ornament, and textile details throughout the room.
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Patterns Visual · 94%
Repeated ornamental motifs are prominent in the carpet and clothing, while the room also contains numerous framed pictures and decorative elements.
Medium and Techniques
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Oil Painting Metadata · 99%
The catalog identifies the medium as oil on canvas and the classification as Painting.
Time Periods
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18th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The work is dated c. 1772, with catalog dates spanning 1771–1772.
Geographic Regions
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British and Irish Art Metadata · 96%
The catalog lists the place of origin as England.
Source & rights
Johann Zoffany (German, 1733–1810). The Dutton Family in the Drawing Room of Sherborne Park, Gloucestershire. Cleveland Museum of Art.
High-resolution sources
- Original TIFF ↗ 10,252 × 8,161 · Cleveland Museum Of Art · Available