Mrs. John Cockey, III

Philip Tilyard, born Baltimore, MD 1785-died Baltimore, MD 1830 · ca. 1822-1827

Elizabeth Zantzinger Cockey and her husband, John Cockey III, were prominent Maryland landowners with a large family of fourteen children. In this portrait, Philip Tilyard portrayed Mrs. Cockey in an ambiguous space empty of details in order to emphasize the textures of her elaborate and expensive costume. Tilyard made this portrait toward the end of Mrs. Cockey’s life, and her expression suggests the toll of raising such an immense family.