Two-way painting, with woman and parrot
British (English) School
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
circa 1720 - 1740
Materials
Oil paint on wood laid on panel
Measurements
508 x 362 mm (20 x 14 1/4 in)
Place of origin
Great Britain
Order this imageCollection
Clevedon Court, North Somerset
NT 624189
Caption
Look straight ahead at this portrait of a young woman and an interloper appears. The head of a green parrot emerges just above her ear, where a hair accessory might sit. Move to the left and right and all becomes clear. This is a two-way or ‘anamorphic’ painting, in which two separate pictures – here a lady and a parrot – come into focus when it is viewed from different angles. The parrot may be the sitter’s pet, or a symbolic image. To achieve this optical effect, the artist painted on two facets of a series of prism-shaped vertical strips of wood, with the remaining facet applied to the backing. Early examples of these painterly curiosities date to the late 16th century, and references to ‘turning pictures’ are even to be found in Shakespeare. This painting hangs in a passageway at Clevedon Court, no doubt eliciting frequent double takes from passers-by.
Summary
Oil paint on wood laid on panel, Two-way painting, with Woman and Parrot, British (English) School, circa 1720-40. A two-way painting, painted on two facets of a series of prism-shaped vertical strips of wood, with the remaining facet applied to the backing. On one facet a bust-length portrait of a young woman facing, gazing at the spectator, with dark brown hair drawn back, wearing a brown gown over a white chemise and dark bodice. On the second facet, a green and red parrot, turned to the left, perched on its left leg.
Provenance
Accepted in lieu of tax 1995 from the estate of Lady Margaret Ann Elton (1915 -1995) and transferred to The National Trust in 1998.
Credit line
Clevedon Court, The Elton Collection (accepted in lieu by HM Government and transferred to The National Trust in 1998)
Makers and roles
British (English) School, artist