Portrait of Samuel Butler
1718
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1718
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
A man in a dark coat looks straight at you, his face lit softly against a plain background. His white wig curls neatly, and his expression is calm but sharp. This is Samuel Butler, a writer who died before the painting was made. The artist, Bernard Lens, painted tiny portraits on ivory instead of the usual vellum (animal skin). The smooth surface let him blend colors like watercolor, making faces glow. To see how small these portraits really are, look up *The Cleveland Museum of Art*.
