
Thomas GainsboroughStorbritannien, 1727–1788Må man se det?
London, Storbritannien
Ejeren er kendt; om værket er udstillet i dag, vides ikke.
Musidora is an oil on canvas painting by the English artist Thomas Gainsborough, from c. 1780–1788. It depicts a scene from the 1727 poem Summer by the Scottish writer James Thomson, part of his larger work The Seasons.
After relocating from Bath to London, Gainsborough established himself as a leading painter of high society portrait paintings while also producing notable landscapes. The painting is his only known nude. Although there is no solid evidence, it has traditionally been believed that it was produced for Thomas Macklin's Poet Gallery. The painting remained unfinished at the artist's death. It later came into the collection of the art collector Robert Vernon who donated it to the nation in 1847 as part of the Vernon Gift. Today it is in the Tate Britain, in London.
1774–1788
The rivalry with Reynolds
In London Gainsborough sets up his studio next to Christie's auction rooms, which he often visits. His London years are marked by rivalry with Joshua Reynolds, president of the Royal Academy.
February 1780
His daughter Molly marries Johann Fischer
In February 1780 his daughter Molly marries the musician Johann Christian Fischer, a friend of the painter, to Gainsborough's dismay: he has realised that Fischer is forming an attachment to Molly while flirting with Peggy. The marriage lasts only eight months, because of their discord and Fischer's deceit.
1783
The Lake District with his friend Sam Kilderbee
In 1783 Gainsborough travels with his friend Sam Kilderbee through the Lake District in north-west England.
1784
A quarrel with the Academy over the hanging
In 1784 Gainsborough is displeased with the way his pictures are hung at the Academy's exhibition and asks for them to be rehung lower; he is told that this goes against the general rule and harms the interests of other artists. He takes his pictures away and never again takes part in the Academy's exhibitions, holding exhibitions at his own house instead.
1784
The first private exhibition at Schomberg House
In 1784 Gainsborough holds his first private exhibition at Schomberg House. Among the works shown is the portrait of Frances Browne, Mrs John Douglas, reading a letter in a secluded, overgrown corner of a garden: the silvery violet tones of the clouds and the drapery tie the sitter to her surroundings.
2. august 1788
Died