Johan ZOFFANY
German-English 1733-1810
Elizabeth Farren as Hermione in 'The Winter's Tale'
c. 1780
oil on canvas
245.0 x 167.0 cm
Everard Studley Miller Bequest 1967
1728-5

Elizabeth Farren was one of the great figures of the eighteenth century stage. She is shown in theatrical pose in the part of Hermione from Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. The character Hermione, who is thought to have died, reappears later in the play as a statue that comes back to life. Zoffany painted many theatrical scenes and portraits of actors from the time of his arrival in England in 1762.