Barbara St. John Bletsoe, Countess of Coventry

Oil on canvas
1998-285
Barbara St. John Bletsoe, Countess of Coventry

Interpretation

The second wife of the Earl of Coventry, who was born Barbara St. John Bletsoe, is shown as an aristocrat dressed in fine muslin embroidered with gold thread and wearing a golden pin with a ruby and dangling pearls. Although she is pensive and at rest, the Countess has beside her on the table a large shuttle that attests to her industry and skill in fancy work. The instrument was used to make knotted lace, a forerunner of the tatted lace made with smaller shuttles by nineteenth- and twentieth-century ladies.

Information

Title
Barbara St. John Bletsoe, Countess of Coventry
Object Number
1998-285
Maker
Angelica Kauffmann
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
130.8 × 119.3 cm (51 1/2 × 46 15/16 in.) frame: 129.7 × 117.3 × 7.6 cm (51 1/16 × 46 3/16 × 3 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Teri Noel Towe, Class of 1970, in grateful and loving memory of his father and mother, Kenneth Crawford Towe and Betty McCarn Towe
Culture
Swiss
Place made
Europe, Switzerland
Type
Materials

Feedback

The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.

Want to use an image from the Museum's collections? Review our image use and access policies.