Mrs. Thomas Horne c. 1768 - 1770

Editor: This is Francis Cotes’ "Mrs. Thomas Horne," an oil-paint portrait from around 1768 to 1770. There's such a tactile quality to her lace shawl and elaborate hairstyle. What draws your attention to this piece? Curator: Immediately, I'm thinking about the labour embedded within those surfaces. The fine details in the lace weren't simply painted – they reflect countless hours of skilled handiwork, likely by women whose names history has largely erased. Think of the materiality of the oil paint itself, derived from pigments and oils, and how these raw materials were processed, traded, and consumed to produce this portrait. Editor: That's fascinating. It makes me think about who had access to these materials and skills. Curator: Exactly. Cotes likely obtained his pigments from specialized merchants. The very act of commissioning a portrait like this speaks to the economic power of the subject’s family. And consider the societal norms dictating Mrs. Horne’s pose and attire – the constructed performance of wealth and status, visible through the materiality of the paint. Do you think this work promotes status? Editor: It absolutely does. It is interesting to consider what wasn’t represented in the painting. All that unseen work… Curator: Precisely! The labor underpinning the surface glitz becomes a kind of "absent presence," highlighting the social and economic hierarchies of the time. Editor: I hadn't considered how much a painting could reveal about production and consumption beyond just the aesthetic experience. Thank you. Curator: It's a constant negotiation – between the artistic vision, the available resources, and the social forces shaping both the artist and the subject. Considering them brings another layer of meaning.