Sarra de Peyster

Unknown

1631 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

Sarra de Peyster (1629–1646) and her younger brother Jacques (b. 1630) were born in the Netherlands to Jacques de Peyster and his wife, Catherine. The de Peyster's descendants brought this lavish portrait to America in 1684. Sarra is shown wearing clothing and jewelry befitting her family’s affluence. Coral bracelets such as those on Sarra’s wrists were thought to protect children from enchantment and disease, while her tulip symbolizes ephemeral beauty.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1631

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Livingston L. Short and Anna Livingston Jones, 1961