Mrs. Robert Froude,née Phillis Hurrell 1762

Joshua Reynolds painted Mrs. Robert Froude, née Phillis Hurrell, capturing her with a mandolin. The instrument, popular during the 18th century, symbolizes harmony and refined sensibilities. The mandolin's presence is a potent echo of the ancient lyre, often associated with Apollo, god of music and healing. We find similar stringed instruments depicted in Renaissance paintings of musical allegories. The instrument becomes a signifier of cultivated taste, a reflection of the sitter's inner world. The instrument resurfaces in the 20th century in unexpected forms, like Picasso's cubist compositions. Like musical notes floating through time, cultural symbols such as the mandolin transcend their original context, and are reimagined, reflecting our collective memory and psychological landscape.