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John Singleton Copley (painter) American, 1738 - 1815 Elizabeth Gray Otis (Mrs. Samuel Alleyne Otis), c. 1764 oil on canvas Overall: 78.7 x 69.2 cm (31 x 27 1/4 in.) framed: 92.7 x 83.8 x 7.6 cm (36 1/2 x 33 x 3 in.) Gift of the Honorable and Mrs. Robert H. Thayer 1980.11.1 On View |
In a fanciful guise taken from European prototypes, the sitter appears as a shepherdess holding a herder’s staff. Elizabeth Gray (1746-1779) married a Boston merchant in 1764. With its promising sunrise, this pastoral scene was almost certainly commissioned to mark her wedding.