Mother and child thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Mother and child

Oil Painting
1852 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Cope was a Roman Catholic and this seems to have been reflected in his preference for religious subjects, and for icons of motherhood such as this. Clearly the 'Virgin and Child' archetype stands behind his repeated versions of mother and baby. To some extent the role of mother is idealized, but at the same time Cope shows a real insight into the tender bond between mother and baby. This is a good example of his ability to capture the intimacy of a private moment, and the young mother's happiness.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleMother and child (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Oil on gesso on canvas
Brief description
Oil painting entitled 'Mother and Child' by Charles West Cope. Great Britain, 1852.
Physical description
Cope was a Roman Catholic and this seems to have been reflected in his preference for religious subjects, and for icons of motherhood such as this. Clearly the 'Virgin and Child' archetype stands behind his repeated versions of mother and baby. To some extent the role of mother is idealized, but at the same time Cope shows a real insight into the tender bond between mother and baby. This is a good example of his ability to capture the intimacy of a private moment, and the young mother's happiness.
Dimensions
  • Estimate height: 36.2cm
  • Estimate width: 25.4cm
  • Frame height: 610mm
  • Frame width: 510mm
  • Frame depth: 70mm
Dimensions taken from Catalogue of British Oil Paintings 1820-1860, Ronald Parkinson, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: HMSO, 1990
Styles
Marks and inscriptions
'C W Cope 1852' (Signed and dated by the artist, lower left)
Credit line
Given by John Sheepshanks, 1857
Object history
Given by John Sheepshanks, 1857
Subjects depicted
Bibliographic reference
Parkinson, R., Victoria and Albert Museum, Catalogue of British Oil Paintings 1820-1860, London: HMSO, 1990, p. 50
Collection
Accession number
FA.60[O]

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
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