Tip: move over the painting to use the lens.

Elizabeth Farren (born about 1759, died 1829), Later Countess of Derby

Artist: Sir Thomas Lawrence British, Bristol 1769–1830 London
Date: 1790
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 94 in. × 57 1/2 in. (238.8 × 146.1 cm)
Where to see it: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bequest of Edward S. Harkness, 1940 · CC0 Public Domain · The Met · see it at the museum ↗

Slow Look

The whole picture Let your eyes wander. Where do they want to rest?
The light Find the brightest spot. What is it showing you?
The edges Look at what is half cut off at the borders.
One small detail Choose one tiny thing and stay with it for a while.
The whole picture again Step back. Has it changed for you?

About Sir Thomas Lawrence

Sir Thomas Lawrence was an English painter who served as the fourth president of the Royal Academy. A child prodigy, he was born in Bristol and began drawing in Devizes, where his father was an innkeeper at the Bear Hotel in the Market Square. At age ten, having moved to Bath, he was supporting his family with his pastel portraits.

Painter profile →