A Sybil

Benjamin West was the first American to achieve an international reputation and was very prominent in his day. During the early part of his career, between 1760 and 1763, West travelled to Italy and painted copies after 'a number of the best pictures in Italy' for Chief Justice William Allen and Lieutenant-Governor James Hamilton. Three of the copies, of which this is one, were given to the Ferens by Sir George Barnes from the estate of the Hon. Margaret Hammond, a descendent of William Allen. This painting portrays a Sibyl, a woman endowed with the gift of prophecy. These characters are often depicted holding one of the Sibylline Books in which their prophecies were recorded. The writing in West's picture is not decipherable. Although there have been many different opinions, the evidence strongly points to this painting being a copy after Mengs, a contemporary, who was also a powerful influence on the young artist.