WATTS INDEXThe canonical database of visual culture

Artists›Richard Cosway

Richard Cosway

1742

WA-00120398

Painting

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None documented

Institutional Exhibitions

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50%

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Authority Records (1)

Smithsonian

Field Verification (3 fields)

1 cross-verified · 2 single-source

Birth yearArtsy· 85%✓
LocationArtsy· 85%
NationalityArtsy· 85%

Source Registry (1)

Smithsonianhttps://www.si.edu/object/chndm_1931-6-72
Tier 1 · Institutional90%

About

Why this artist matters now

Richard Cosway was a leading English portrait painter of the Georgian and Regency era, noted for his miniatures. He was a contemporary of John Smart, George Engleheart, William Wood, and Richard Crosse. He befriended fellow Freemason and Swedenborgians William Blake and Chevalier d'Éon. His wife was the Italian-born painter Maria Cosway, a close friend of Thomas Jefferson.

Source: Smithsonian Institution · Trust score: 90% · Updated 1mo ago

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Canonical record

Artworks (14)

Portrait of George, 5th Duke of Marlborough, with Blenheim Palace in the Distance

1817 · Graphite and watercolor

Sheet: 8 15/16 × 5 1/2 in. (22.7 × 14 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Portrait of Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, later King of the French

1804 · watercolor on ivory in a gold locket frame

Framed: 7.5 x 6.6 cm (2 15/16 x 2 5/8 in.); Unframed: 6.3 x 5.4 cm (2 1/2 x 2 1/8 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Lavinia, Countess Spencer as Juno

1801 · Graphite

sheet: 12 5/8 x 9 3/8 in. (32.1 x 23.8 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Portrait of Catherine Clemens and Her Son, John Marcus Clemens

1795 · watercolor on ivory in a gold and split pearl frame

Framed: 9 x 7.3 cm (3 9/16 x 2 7/8 in.); Sight: 8 x 6.1 cm (3 1/8 x 2 3/8 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Portrait of the Hon. Anne Annesley, later Countess of Mountnorris

1795 · watercolor on ivory in a gold frame

Framed: 9 x 7.3 cm (3 9/16 x 2 7/8 in.); Unframed: 8.3 x 6.4 cm (3 1/4 x 2 1/2 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Cupid and Minerva

1788 · Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, over graphite

Overall: 6 15/16 x 5 5/16in. (17.6 x 13.5cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Two Veiled Young Women, probably Lilla Amnani and Her Sister

1786 · graphite, watercolor, red chalk on paper

Matted: 38.1 x 29.7 cm (15 x 11 11/16 in.); Sheet: 33 x 25.7 cm (13 x 10 1/8 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Portrait of Mary Frances (Fanny) Swinburne

1786 · watercolor on ivory in a gold, enamel, and split pearl frame

Framed: 7 x 5.8 cm (2 3/4 x 2 5/16 in.); Sight: 6.8 x 5.7 cm (2 11/16 x 2 1/4 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Sidi Hadji Abdurrahman Adja (1720–1792)

1786 · graphite, watercolor, red chalk on paper

Matted: 38.4 x 28.6 cm (15 1/8 x 11 1/4 in.); Sheet: 33.2 x 24.9 cm (13 1/16 x 9 13/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Portrait of a Man

1785 · watercolor on ivory in a gold frame with blue and white enamel

Framed: 5.9 x 5 cm (2 5/16 x 1 15/16 in.); Unframed: 5 x 4 cm (1 15/16 x 1 9/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Mrs. Robinson as Perdita

1774 · Graphite, blue chalk, and watercolor, with touches of gouache (bodycolor)

oval sheet: 7 13/16 x 6 in. (19.9 x 15.3 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Self-Portrait

1770 · Ivory

Oval, 2 x 1 5/8 in. (50 x 42 mm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ensign Lionel Robert Tollemache (1774–1793)

1762 · Ivory

Oval, 3 1/8 x 2 1/2 in. (81 x 65 mm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Marianne Dorothy Harland (1759–1785), Later Mrs. William Dalrymple

1762 · Oil on canvas

28 x 36 1/8 in. (71.1 x 91.8 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

View all 14 artworks →

Artwork sources (2)

14 published of 14 catalogued · 14 with image

Cleveland Museum of Art
7 published7 img
The Met
7 published7 img

Per-Artwork Provenance Chains (top 7)

7 entries · 1 sources

Sidi Hadji Abdurrahman Adja (1720–1792)
1786 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Portrait of Mary Frances (Fanny) Swinburne
1786 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Portrait of Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, later King of the French
1804 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Portrait of Catherine Clemens and Her Son, John Marcus Clemens
1795 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Portrait of the Hon. Anne Annesley, later Countess of Mountnorris
1795 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Portrait of a Man
1785 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Two Veiled Young Women, probably Lilla Amnani and Her Sister
1786 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number

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