2-727-897 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason, c. 1803-1805. Stuart introduced into American art a painting technique based on spontaneous, yet strategically placed brushstrokes and layers of subtle, translucent paint that presents sitters as if bathed in mist. Commissioned five years after her marriage, this painting of Elizabeth Beltzhoover Mason (1781-1836) declares her stylishness by associating her with Stuart's fashionable manner. The portrait adapts to a small format the accessories of column and drapery traditionally associated with larger paintings, creating an effect of both intimacy and grandeur.