Richard Montgomery

Richard Montgomery is a small-scale portrait executed in watercolor on ivory, a miniature format consistent with late-eighteenth-century American portrait practice. The Metropolitan Museum of Art records its dimensions as approximately 4.4 by 3.4 centimeters, confirming its intimate, handheld scale. The composition is rendered in profile, a stylistic convention typical of miniature portraiture of the period, emphasizing the sitter's silhouette against the smooth, luminous ivory support.

The watercolor medium allows for delicate, translucent layering, while the ivory ground lends a warm, reflective quality to the flesh tones. The work is classified within the museum's American Wing holdings.

Created in 1785, this watercolor portrait on ivory depicts Richard Montgomery in profile. The work was executed by the American artist Charles Willson Peale and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, within the institution's American Wing. The physical dimensions of the miniature are recorded as 4.4 centimeters in height and 3.4 centimeters in width.

No specific details regarding the original commission, intermediate ownership transfers, or the circumstances of its creation beyond the date and artist are provided in the available records.

This watercolor on ivory, created by Charles Willson Peale around 1785, depicts Richard Montgomery, a general who played a significant role in the American Revolution. The small-scale profile portrait serves as a commemorative image of a key figure from the nascent United States. Peale, an American artist, frequently documented prominent individuals of his time, and this work exemplifies his practice of preserving the likenesses of those involved in the nation's founding.

Charles Willson Peale was a prolific American artist whose career was defined by his efforts to document the leading figures of the Revolutionary War era. Beyond his artistic endeavors, Peale also served in the military during the conflict and held political office, providing him with a unique perspective on the individuals he portrayed. This work fits within his broader practice of creating a visual record of the young republic's founders and heroes.