Elizabeth Carter ('Elizabeth Carter as Minerva')
- Artist: John Fayram
- Date: circa 1735-1741
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 35 3/8 in. x 27 1/8 in. (900 mm x 690 mm)
- Portrays: Elizabeth Carter
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
In this oil on canvas, painted between 1735 and 1741 by John Fayram, you see Elizabeth Carter, a poet and translator who lived from 1717 to 1806, portrayed as Minerva, the goddess of wisdom. She wears a plumed helmet and an armoured breastplate, symbolising her scholarly armour. In one hand she holds a volume of Plato, echoing the poem that accompanied its publication in Edward Cave’s 1741 eulogy: “On Miss Carter’s being drawn in the habit of Minerva”. The verses also noted that she could leave “sex’s joys behind” to taste the pleasure of the mind. She was part of the Bluestocking circle, a group of women who met to discuss art and literature. This portrait celebrates her as a model of learning for women.
See it in person
Elizabeth Carter ('Elizabeth Carter as Minerva') is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
