Artwork Page for Woman Sleeping in a Landscape with a Letter

Details / Information for Woman Sleeping in a Landscape with a Letter

Woman Sleeping in a Landscape with a Letter

c. 1800

Bernard Gaillot

(French, 1780–1847)
Culture
France, 18th century
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
Framed: 36 x 44 cm (14 3/16 x 17 5/16 in.); Unframed: 32.4 x 40.6 cm (12 3/4 x 16 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2008.289
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

The subject matter here probably comes from an English novel popular in France around 1800. The monument’s inscription indicates that the wife of Fotheringham, an English military leader in India, has recently died. The reclining woman (perhaps sleeping, mourning, or dead) has dropped a portrait miniature of Fotheringham, accompanying a letter to his mother. The narrative has yet to be deciphered, but the husband may have written home, unaware of his wife’s death.
A horizontally oriented oil painting depicts a woman with light skin tone reclining on grass, eyes closed. Dressed in a white gown and headpiece, she rests her hand on open letters near a miniature portrait. To our left, a large, leafy tree arches over her. To our right, a stone monument with a pointed top stands between tall trees. A distant city sits under a blue sky with soft orange clouds.

Woman Sleeping in a Landscape with a Letter

c. 1800

Bernard Gaillot

(French, 1780–1847)
France, 18th century

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