Portrait of Mrs. Myndert Myndertse (Jannetje-Persen) and Her Daughter, Sara

Jannetje-Persen (Mrs. Myndert Myndertse) holds her daughter on her lap as she offers her a single pink rose blossom in Pieter Vanderlyn’s portrait. Notwithstanding this familial gesture, the two stare fixedly at the viewer, stiffly posed in their finest attire. The strong red of Sara’s dress stands out against the more somber hues of her mother’s elegant gown, with its gathered bodice and lace-trimmed sleeves. Each figure is further adorned with a necklace of beads encircling her neck, and Mrs. Myndertse’s gathered hair descends fashionably in front of her right shoulder. Curtains frame the pair against a blank background. The work’s pretensions to fashion and elegance reflect the artist’s awareness of contemporary English and Dutch portraits, widely available in colonial America through reproductive prints. Artists and patrons of the time regarded “quotation” from such models as a thoroughly legitimate practice.

The two sitters’ large, strongly drawn fingers, almond-shaped eyes, and clearly defined noses are some of the features common to a group of portraits that have been attributed to a single artist long called the Gansevoort Limner, now tentatively identified as Pieter Vanderlyn. The artist worked in the upper Hudson River Valley of the colonial province of New York between 1730 and 1745, painting prosperous middle-class families. The date of this portrait has been assigned from the estimated birthdate of the child based on the record of her baptism in 1741. Indeed, the portrait may have been made in recognition of this important event.

Mrs. Myndertse’s husband was a nephew of Mrs. Leendert Gansevoort, whose portrait was made by the Gansevoort Limner in 1730. It is quite possible that the commission for the portrait of Mrs. Myndertse and her daughter came through this family connection. The Myndertse family lived near Kingston, New York, where Vanderlyn lived periodically during the fifteen year period to which his portraits have been dated.

Two Centuries of American Folk Painting, Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois, February 10–April 21, 1985.

Selections from the Permanent Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois, July 19–September 14, 1985.

Nineteenth Century Genre Painting from The Daniel J. Terra Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois, November 15, 1985–January 12, 1986.

A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 21–June 21, 1987. [exh. cat.]

An American Revelation: The Daniel J. Terra Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, February 28–October 1, 1988.

Domestic Bliss: Family Life in America, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 12–June 22, 1997.

The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920, Musée d'Art Américain, Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 10, 1999–May 7, 2000 (in modified form). [exh. cat.]

Figures and Forms: Selections from the Terra Foundation for the Arts, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 9–July 9, 2000.

A Rich Simplicity: Folk Art from the Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, June 7–September 21, 2003.

Visages de l'Amérique: de George Washington à Marilyn Monroe (Faces of America: From George Washington to Marilyn Monroe), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2004. [exh. cat.]

Twarze Ameryki: Portrety z kolekcji Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940 (Faces of America: Portraits from the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France and Miedzynarodowe Centrum Kultury (International Cultural Center), Cracow, Poland (organizers). Venue: International Cultural Center, Cracow, Poland, February 15–May 7, 2006. [exh. cat.]

Art in America: 300 Years of Innovation, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York, NY and Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, IL (organizers). Venues: National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China, February 9-April 5, 2007; Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, China, April 30-June 30, 2007; Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai, China, April 30-June 30, 2007 (Shanghai presentations ran concurrently); The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia, July 23–September 9, 2007; Guggenheim Bilbao, Bilbao, Spain, October 15, 2007–April 27, 2008. [exh. cat.]

Black, Mary. "The Gansevoort Limner." The Magazine Antiques 96:5 (November 1969): 738–44. Fig. 15, p. 743.

Christie's New York, New York (Sale 5734, October 13, 1984): lot 140.

Atkinson, D. Scott et al. A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art. Edited by Terry A. Neff. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1987. Pl. T-1, p. 110 (color).

Lévy, Sophie, et al. Twarze Ameryki: Portrety z kolekcji Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940/Faces of America: Portraits from the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940. (exh. cat. International Cultural Center). Cracow, Poland: International Cultural Center, 2006. Text pp.16–17; ill. p. 51 (color).

Davidson, Susan, ed. Art in America: 300 Years of Innovation. (exh. cat., National Museum of China, Beijing; Shanghai Museum). New York, NY: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation; Chicago, IL: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2007. (Chinese and English version; citing English version). Ill. p. 61 (color).

Davidson, Susan, ed. Art in America: 300 Years of Innovation. (exh. cat., The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia). New York, NY: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation; Chicago, IL: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2007. (Russian version). Ill. p. 52 (color).

Davidson, Susan, ed. Art in the USA: 300 años de innovación. (exh. cat., Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Bilbao, Spain). New York, NY: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation; Chicago, IL: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2007. (Spanish version). Ill. p. 55 (color).