The Spanish Shawl

In this piece, we see many of Hulings signature elements: subtle tonal values between the wall and the cream dress, masterful rendering of light and shadow, and most of all, the richness and bold red and green colors woven into the silk shawl. The artist's daughter Elizabeth, aged sixteen at the time, was the model for this painting.

In his book, A Gallery of Paintings, Hulings said: "Very old Spanish shawls of embroidered silk are not really Spanish, they are Chinese. Indeed, the motifs are Chinese figures and pagodas. Along with rice, the shawls were products of the clipper trade between Spain and China. This one was given to my mother's grandmother one hundred and fifty years ago."