The Cleveland Museum of Art
Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason
Description
The sitter’s high-waisted dress, pearl necklace, and elegant hairstyle of cascading ringlets reflect the height of fashion around 1800. Her gaze is assured: her chin is tilted upward but her eyes peer down with confidence. Mason’s husband was a prosperous lawyer, an influential figure in President Thomas Jefferson’s administration, and a plantation owner in Maryland. According to an inventory from 1807, the couple enslaved approximately 185 people, ranging from the newborn Abraham to 79-year-old Rachel. The family’s wealth afforded Mason the opportunity to be painted by Gilbert Stuart, a much sought-after portraitist.
Provenance
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio; (Frank W. Bayley, Boston, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art); Louisa Mason Terry [1844-1921], Washington, DC, consigned to Frank W. Bayley for sale1; Margaret Augusta Cowan Mason [1821-1899], Hagerstown, MD, by descent to her daughter, Louisa Mason Terry1; Judge John Thomson Mason, Jr. [1815-1873], Hagerstown, MD, by descent to his wife, Margaret Augusta Cowan Mason; Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason [1781-1836] and John Thomson Mason [1765-1824], Montpelier, Clear Spring, MD, by descent to their son, Judge John Thomson Mason, Jr.
Dimensions
73.8 × 61 cm
Movement / Period
Accession No
1921.428
Official Citations
Curatorial Affinity Stream
Continuing the Universe of Gilbert Stuart (American, born The Thirteen Colonies, 1755–1828)
American Painting and Sculpture • America • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries
Continuous Discovery