Portrait of a Lady in the Character of Cressida
- Artist: John Opie
- Date: exhibited 1800
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 2337 x 1448 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “Portrait of a Lady in the Character of Cressida” by John Opie. The sitter’s face is familiar yet her name is lost to history; Opie likely chose a contemporary celebrity or actress that audiences of the day would recognise. Painted in 1800, the work debuted at the Royal Academy’s annual exhibition, a venue where artists were jockeying for public attention by producing flamboyant, dramatic images. In this piece, Opie casts the woman as Cressida, the tragic heroine of Shakespeare’s “Troilus and Cressida”. She stands poised, arms raised, wearing a theatrical costume and a veil that suggests the stage rather than a private portrait. The composition blends classical myth with the burgeoning celebrity culture of the era, illustrating how art was increasingly used to capture and celebrate fame. Opie’s oil on canvas demonstrates his skill in capturing expressive gestures and the elegance of costume, making this portrait a snapshot of early Romantic Britain’s intersection of literature, theatre and visual art.
See it in person
Portrait of a Lady in the Character of Cressida is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, 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.
