Technique

The colours (shades of violet and red, set off by the dark background) fit the Dowdeswell title of 1884, and are painted very delicately with a fine brush. There are pentimenti, for instance below the model's waist and thigh. The area of her hand and chin is rather blurred and it is not clear if this was intended. The area below the figure appears to have been partly scraped with a knife right down to the wood.

Conservation History

There are some tiny cracks, on the face for instance, and deterioration of the paint surface.

According to Freer Gallery of Art conservation files, it was resurfaced and cradled in 1938, and again resurfaced in 1952-1953.

Frame

1884: Small Dowdeswell, framed for the Dowdeswell exhibition. 1