Ann Eilbeck Mason

Object/Artifact

-

Gunston Hall

Name/Title

Ann Eilbeck Mason

Entry/Object ID

2010.148

Description

Portrait of Ann Eilbeck Mason; 1811; Dominic W. Boudet; After original 1750 portrait by John Hesselius; American; Oil on canvas; Companion to portrait of George Mason 2010.147 Gunston Hall is proud to announce the acquisition of the portraits of George Mason and Ann Eilbeck Mason. These portraits represent unique images of George Mason and his wife. John Hesselius painted the original portraits in 1750 to commemorate the Masons’ marriage. Born in Philadelphia, Hesselius painted many of Virginia’s elite personages, including six portraits in 1751 of the Masons’ neighbors, the Fitzhugh family. In 1811, the Masons’ son, John Mason, had three copies commissioned citing the poor condition of his parents’ portraits. Loaned to Gunston Hall by the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, a pair of these portraits have hung in the mansion since 1950. From their vantage point, George and Ann Mason have seen their Gunston Hall slowly return to the splendor it had when they lived within its walls. Gunston Hall thanks the Virginia Museum of Fine Art for generously gifting the portraits on behalf of the Honorable David K. E. Bruce.

Acquisition

Accession

2010.148

Source or Donor

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Gunston Hall Collection

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Painting

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Height

36-1/4 in

Width

31-1/4 in

Dimension Notes

Framed

Material

Canvas, Paint, Oil, Painting

Provenance

Notes

John Mason. By descent to Caroline Mason, By descent to her great-nephew, Thomas Swann, 1919, Acquired by David Kirkpatrick Este Bruce, Presented to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 1937/1938, Loaned to George Mason's Gunston Hall, 1950, Deaccessioned by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 2010, Transferred to George Mason’s Gunston Hall, 2010, Accessioned by George Mason’s Gunston Hall, 2010.