Images(2)

Flowers in Fluted Vase

Artist Brinah DeYoung

OriginAmerica, Maryland, Baltimore

MediumPaint on velvet

DimensionsUnframed: 17 1/16 x 20in. (43.3 x 50.8cm) and Framed: 19 3/4 x 22 3/16 x 1 1/2in.

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2008.403.1,A

DescriptionA white, footed, fluted vase having no visible support contains a profuse bouquet of mixed flowers and green foliage; brief script inscriptions appear on either side of the vase.

Label TextBrinah DeYoung was the daughter of Meichel DeYoung, a Jewish silversmith and dry goods merchant, and his first wife Mary Hall. The level of artistry shown in her theorem suggests that Brinah completed the work under the direction of a painting instructor at school. The crisp edges and lively colors make for a delightful composition of overlapping flowers and leaves. The inclusion of a manuscript dedication evokes the sense of pride that Brinah must have felt upon finishing this piece with the intention of presenting it to her mother.

This theorem was completed between 1828 and 1836 while Brinah was living with her family in Baltimore, Maryland. Between 1828 and 1830, several schools for young ladies opened in Baltimore, including three within walking distance of Brinah’s home in the 9th ward, all of which offered instruction in drawing and theorem painting. Sometime before the summer of 1836, Brinah moved to Richmond, Virginia, where she married an auctioneer named Hart Ancker.
InscribedThree lines of script In black or dark brown ink appear within the composition, the first two of them interrupted by the vase. Ellipses indicate the interruption of the vase. The lines read: "Presented To . . . . my dear Mother/By her dear Daughter . . . . Brinah DeYoung/Baltimore".

Exhibition(s)