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1965.100.1, Portrait
Portrait of The Depeyster Twins, Eva (1724-1728?) and Catherina (1724-1788?)
1965.100.1, Portrait

Portrait of The Depeyster Twins, Eva (1724-1728?) and Catherina (1724-1788?)

Dateca. 1728
Attributed to The Depeyster Limner
OriginAmerica, New York, New York City
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsUnframed: 50 1/4 x 40 1/4in. (127.6 x 102.2cm) and Framed: 56 1/4 x 47 1/4in. (142.9 x 120cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1965.100.1
DescriptionA full-length double portrait of two small children attired almost identically in gold-colored gowns over white shifts with billowing, loose, dark red robes. Each child has long, blonde hair, parted in the middle, tucked behind the ears, and curled at the ends. A string of pearls slung diagonally around the body of each secures the robe of the child on the right and connects the robe to the hem of the gown of the child on the left. Jeweled clasps fasten the bodices of their gowns. A small dog stands in the far right foreground; it raises its head and leans back on its haunches as though barking. Its body obscures the forward foot of the child on the right. The forward foot of the left child is bare. The child on the left supports a black bird on her extended proper left index finger. The child on the right holds a wreath of flowers and foliage in her proper left hand and points to it with her right. The children stride diagonally across a checkered floor, with dark, undefined space in the left background and a balcony overlooking a landscape vista in the right background.
The 3 3/4-inch gilded, carved, and molded frame is possibly original.
Label TextThis striking portrait of twin girls has been stylistically linked to a substantial body of work, although conclusive evidence for naming the artist has not yet been found.

Despite the children's somewhat wooden stances, their likeness generates a compelling sense of movement and animation through their gestures, the swirling fabrics of their costumes, and the crouching pose of their little dog. In fact, the spaniel --- and other elements of the elaborate setting --- may have derived from English mezzotints popular at the time. The wreath of greens and flowers, however, is a decorative motif that appears almost exclusively in early New York portraiture.

The twins' parents were Abraham DePeyster, Jr. (1696-1767), and his wife, Margaretta Van Cortlandt DePeyster (1694-1769/1770). In 1721, Abraham succeeded his father as treasurer of the province of New York. The twins were born 3 December 1724. Eva died in childhood (in 1728?); Catherina married John Livingston (1714-1786) and died in 1788 (some sources say 1804). Family traditions differ as to which twin is which.



ProvenanceThe line of descent that follows was provided by the wife of the last private owner: From one of the subjects, Mrs. John Livingston (nee Catherina DePeyster)(1724-1788?), to her daughter, Mrs. Mariano Velasquez (nee Catherine Livingston)(1759-1839); to her daughter, Miss Mariana Velasquez; to her great-nephew, Col. Anastasio Carlos Mariano Azoy, Jr., (1892?-1965) of Ardsley-on-Hudson, NY, from whom the picture was acquired via Kennedy Galleries, Inc., New York, NY.

Exhibition(s)