Lady with Goldfish Bowl
Datebefore 1919
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsCanvas: 50 1/4 × 34 1/2 inches (127.6 × 87.6 cm)
Framed: 55 3/4 × 40 1/4 inches (141.6 × 102.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of the estate of Vera Story Roosevelt in memory of her daughter Felicity (Bebe) Benoliel.
Object number2001.21
CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextAt Telfair Museums, Julian Story has long been admired as the painter of The Black Prince at Crécy (1888), the largest painting in the museum’s collection. However, that massive history painting, currently on view downstairs in the Rotunda Gallery, is in many ways atypical of Story’s work. Lady with Goldfish Bowl is a fine example of Story’s portraiture, for which he was best known.
The son of American poet and sculptor William Wetmore Story, Julian Russell Story was born in Walton-on-Thames, England, and spent much of his life abroad. Lady with a Goldfish Bowl is an excellent example of Story’s portraiture. The attractive model, whose identity is unknown, holds a goldfish bowl to the light, admiring the fish within. Her informal dress suggests that she may be a house servant, or perhaps she is intended to represent a figure from an earlier era. The fluid, painterly brushstrokes are characteristic of Story’s technique and link this serene portrait to the dynamic Black Prince.
