Lady at the Tea Table
Artist: Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926)
Original Dimensions: 29" x 24"
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
About Artwork: (1883–85) "This work depicts Mary Dickinson Riddle, first cousin of Cassatt’s mother, presiding at tea, a daily ritual among upper-middle-class women on both sides of the Atlantic. Mrs. Riddle’s hand rests on the handle of a teapot, part of a gilded blue-and-white Canton porcelain service her daughter had given to the artist’s family. Painted in appreciation, the portrait reveals Cassatt’s Impressionist technique in its sketch-like finish, palette, and compressed space. The work was ultimately rejected by Riddle’s family, and it remained with the artist until her longtime friend, Louisine Havemeyer, persuaded her to donate it to The Met." - (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

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