Mary Rutledge Smith with Edward Nutt Smith
MRS
Name/Title
Mary Rutledge Smith with Edward Nutt SmithEntry/Object ID
77.1.1Description
George Romney (English, 1734-1802) Mary Rutledge Smith and son Edward London, England 1786 Oil on canvas Portrait of Mary Rutledge Smith Full Length Portrait of Mary Rutledge Smith, Sister of John Rutledge First Gov (President) of SC and Edward Rutledge, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Wife of Colonel Roger Smith. By George Romney, Painted Between Jan and May 1786 At a Cost of 104 Pounds, 18. Shown Standing with Her Right Arm Around a Baby (Probably Edward Nutt Smith) Born in England in 1785, the 12th of 13 Children. the Child Is Sitting on a Pedestal Holding an Orange. Typical Temple/Folly in the Background. George Romney (English, 1734-1802) Mary Rutledge Smith and son Edward London, England, 1786 Oil on canvas, H. 106 x W. 70 x D. 3 1/4 (framed) inches Historic Charleston Foundation, Charleston, SC, collection purchase with contributions from an anonymous southern foundation, 77.1.1 England's most fashionable portrait painter, George Romney, completed this portrait of Mary Rutledge Smith (1747-1837) after fifteen sittings between January and May of 1786, at a cost of £104-18s-0d. The son of a cabinetmaker, Romney trained under Christopher Steele and his work illustrates the simple grandeur and heroic quality of neoclassical art. Smith, the wife of Colonel Roger Smith (1745-1805), is shown with their son Edward Nutt Smith (born 1785 in England), the twelfth of the couple's thirteen children. The sumptuous dress and elegant but relaxed demeanor confirms the status of this Charleston wife and mother. Smith and child gaze earnestly from the canvas, exuding a confidence reserved for only the most distinguished of Romney's sitters. This portrait was painted while Smith traveled abroad with her husband, living in England from 1785 until 1788. When the family returned to Charleston in 1788, they brought the painting with them, and it passed down through the female line of the Smith family. This portrait was exhibited throughout the nineteenth century in Charleston at the South Carolina Academy of Fine Arts and the Carolina Art Association. As a result, the painting was well known and much admired in the city. Because of financial difficulties, however, in 1888 family members sent the painting to London where it was sold the following year. For the next eighty-seven years it remained in the Swinton Collection at Masham, England. With the help of a preservation-minded patron, Historic Charleston Foundation purchased the portrait in 1976, and it returned to Charleston with much fanfare. BSCArtwork Details
Medium
Oil on Canvas, OilCollection
Historic Charleston Foundation CollectionAcquisition
Accession
77.1.1Source or Donor
Christie's LondonAcquisition Method
PurchaseCredit Line
an Anonymous Southern FoundationMade/Created
Artist
Romney, George, 1734-1802Date made
1786 - 1786Place
Location
EnglandLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
PaintingNomenclature Class
ArtNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsOther Name
PortraitDimensions
Height
96 inWidth
60-1/2 inDimension Notes
Framed H:106" X W:70.5" X D:3"Location
Location
Building
NR FIRST FLOOR STAIRHALLCategory
PermanentDate
February 7, 2023Location
Room
102Building
Nathaniel Russell HouseCategory
PermanentMoved By
SJDate
July 22, 2004Location
Building
NR STAIRHALLMoved By
June HawkinsDate
June 25, 2002Notes
Until: / /Condition
Overall Condition
GoodOverall Condition
GoodNotes
This oil on canvas has been restored in the past. One area of inpainting in the sitter's neck area has an area of lifting paint. There are abrasions in the varnish, paint , and ground payers located in the lower left corner. A layer of dust covers the surface of the painting. A layer of grime possible covers the varnish layer, but a cleaning test was not performed.Conservation
Treatment
Conservator
Catherine Gambrell RogersNotes
Scope of work: Treatment: Consolidate the area of lifting paint in the sitter's neck without disturbing the varnish or inpainting layers. Inpaint the area of abrasion with appropriate materials. Surface dust the painting. Optional: Remove surface grime with organic solvents. Est. of treatment w/ot grime removal $600.00 Est. of treatment with grime removal $1200.00Relationships
Related Entries
Notes
88.3.1Related Publications
Notes
"In Pursuit of Refinement: Charlestonians Abroad 1740-1860" H. Ward and W. Roberts, Romney, 1904, vol.II, p.145. Sittings are recorded on Jan. 5,16,20,26; Feb.2,8,15,23; March 6. April 11,18 22 26,29; May 4, 1786. In January , payment was received from Mrs. Smith of Carolina 52-2-0. May 2, received the same, the remainder 52-16-0.Provenance
Notes
Collected By: Mrs. Mary Rutledge Smith Found: England Last Owner: Smith Family by Descendent Exhibited in Charleston, at the Carolina Art Association 1884 exhibit, last time displayed in Charleston (until 1977) as it was then sold by the family at auction in England through Christie's predecessor for L4000. Painted for Col. and Mrs. Roger Smith, 1786. Thomas Smith, 1826 Mrs. Rutledge. Caroline S. Parker, Christie's 1889;(sold privately to Agnew's) Bought by Lord Masham, 1889, and thence by descent.Exhibitions
10
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