Miss Nelly O'Brien

after Sir Joshua Reynolds

National Gallery of Art

Shown from the lap up and shaded entirely in tones of golden yellow, laurel green, and black, a pale-skinned woman cradles a small, furry dog in her arms in this vertical portrait. The woman’s body is squared toward us, and she looks directly out with slate-blue eyes. She has an oval face with a delicate nose, long chin, and her pale pink lips are closed in a slight smile. Her brown hair is pulled back under a tan-colored hat lined on the underside with translucent cloth and on the top with sage-green ribbons or ruffles. A choker of thumbnail-sized pearls encircles her neck. Her dress has a deep V in the front and the elbow-length sleeves end with layers of lacy ruffles. Curving black lines suggest a pattern on sheer black fabric that covers pale yellow and frosty green stripes of the bodice. The dog has long, light-colored fur and a dark, bead-like nose and eyes. Vines grow up and from the top of a stone column in the background to the right, and the rest of the shallow space is filled with shrubs and plants. A bright yellow spot near the top left corner suggests a strong light source coming from that area, which casts her face in a diffuse shadow under the hat’s brim.