Moses Haughton the Younger
An allegory of astronomy, 1790s
Oil on canvas
Philip Mould & Co.
To view all current artworks for sale visit philipmould.com This appears at first glance to be a portrait of a lady in a landscape, against the sort of the...
To view all current artworks for sale visit philipmould.com
This appears at first glance to be a portrait of a lady in a landscape, against the sort of the rocky promentory which first appears in British art with the painting of Van Dyck, in which it features as an emblem of constancy as well as a convenient framing device. But in reality - though it may well also be a portrait of a now unknown sitter - the wealth of accoutrements reveal the painting to be an allegorical representation of one of the sciences, perhaps astronomy, which would agree with her sky-gazing attitude.