self portrait painted miniature piece ivory depicting artist breasts surrounded pale cloth painting originally paper backing set modern case aged completed miniature depicts breasts appear balance harmony light color balance surrounding cloth draws viewer focus leading body erased gifted portrait statesman frequent subject possibly lover following death wife intended provoke marrying married family held portrait 1980s auctioned acquired couple gifted sold collection including description context self portrait depicting breasts pink beauty mark presented color giving dimensional effect aged painted miniature according art critic breasts younger balance harmony light color balance breasts framed pale cloth parts reflects light painting set case originally installed paper backing date reverse work painting ivory thin light shine allow depicted breasts glow medium common american case served flesh presented completed period popularity portrait medium introduced united_states late 18th century time completed self portrait increasing complexity describes play eye popular affection england france common allowed portraits loved ones carried revealing identities history prolific boston based portrait miniature painter studied long term association politician began services senator massachusetts sent letters time increasingly familiar letters addressed dear good friend character painted dozen times left hometown boston visit washington twice wife death separated second wife completed likely looking mirror works cited possible inspirations including island sculpture sent portrait new based miniature format likely intended eyes american art critic suggests artist intended offer writes breasts appear taking ivory ultimately married woman death continued handed family self portrait sent politician descendants held engaged painting eventually auctioned list price passed new_york later year purchased new_york based collectors husband richard couple included exhibition affection portrait miniature america toured new_york washington portrait compiled couple gave met gift purchase arrangement collection met describe self portrait compelling strange wonderful minor artists collection years later included retrospective years celebrate decades acquisitions showcased works acquired tenure retiring met director new_york_times highlighted self portrait describing remarkable authors drew inspiration paintings boy novel met website lists display analysis art historian described realistic ability portray nuanced lights shadows found hatching creating painting delicate writing said painting continued present self evokes erotic possibility wrote served sort visual representing entirety breasts opposed self portrait non found forefront demand attention arguing clothing surrounding breasts served indicate performance similar described viewer eyes focused breasts rest body erased stated challenged assumptions stereotypes 19th century woman
Beauty Revealed