item details
NameOdette
ProductionRuth Hollingsworth; artist; circa 1915
Classificationoil paintings
Materialsoil paint, canvas
Materials Summaryoil on canvas
DimensionsImage: 885mm (width), 880mm (height)
Registration Number1936-0012-177
Credit lineGift of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, 1936
Overview
This young woman, with her silk kimono, coral necklace, and sparkling gold ring, is presented as a lady of exotic and glamorous tastes. The arabesque-patterned wall hanging and the cobalt-blue glass bowl accentuate her allure.
The portrait was gifted to the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts in 1923 by Lord Leverhulme, a prominent British industrialist, politician, and philanthropist. Leverhulme started collecting art in the 1880s, often using the images as advertisements for his Sunlight Soap brand. This painting was never used, but you can see how Odette might have made a fitting model for the purpose.