Matilda Stoughton de Jaudenes, Gilbert Stuart, 1794

Matilda stoughton de jaudenes artist: gilbert stuart (american, north kingston, rhode island 1755–1828 boston, massachusetts) date: 1794 medium: oil on canvas dimensions: 50 5/8 x 39 1/2 in. (128. 6 x 100. 3 cm) classification: paintings credit line: rogers fund, 1907 the sixteen-year-old bride of josef de jáudenes, matilda stoughton (1778–after 1822), was an american whose father served as spain’s consul in boston for thirty years. Although her richly fashionable costume and jewelry would have been regarded as excessive for a young anglo-saxon, the splendor was completely appropriate for the wife of a wealthy and ambitious spanish diplomat. Matilda’s portrait is a harmonious pendant to her husband’s (07. 75), but each work has its own artistic integrity. The two canvases are superb examples of stuart’s firm, brilliant style just after his return to the united states from england. The coat of arms and the inscription at the upper left are later additions, made in spain by another hand. Date: 1794. Collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art.