Nathaniel Hone
British, 1718-1784
“Ann Gardiner with Her Eldest Son, Kirkman
1776
Oil on canvas
Gift of the Berger Collection Education Trust, 2019.16”
“Portraits that represented their subjects as allegorical, mythological, or biblical figures were popular in the late 1700s because they communicated the sitter’s (or patron’s) knowledge of history and culture. In a portrait likely commissioned by her father, a prominent Irish politician, Ann Gardiner and her son posed like an Italian Renaissance Madonna and Child. The boy’s toga-like garment and the classical column in the background also allude to images of Venus and Cupid from Greek mythology.”
Photo taken at Denver Art Museum, July 28, 2019.