Thomas Amory II

John Singleton Copley painted the portrait of Thomas Amory II in 1770 in oil on canvas. The work descended within the Amory family of Boston for more than two centuries, passing from Thomas Amory II [1722-1784] to his son Jonathan Amory [1770-1828], then to Thomas C. Amory [1812-1889], followed by Arthur Amory [1841-1911] and Ingersoll Amory [1869-1921]. During Ingersoll's ownership the painting was placed on deposit with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston from 1912 to 1922, before transfer in 1922 to his niece Elizabeth Amory Bartlett, who continued the Boston deposit until 1940.

The portrait subsequently passed to her cousin Robert Amory II, who placed it on deposit with the National Gallery of Art from 1966 to 1981 and with the Portland Museum of Art from 1981 to 1986. Hirsch and Adler Galleries handled the painting from 1986, selling it on 14 September 1989 to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, which retained it until its 2014 acquisition by the National Gallery of Art.

Following a lineage of private ownership within the Amory family in Boston and Washington, the portrait was placed on long-term deposit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (1912–1940) and later the National Gallery of Art, Washington (1966–1981), with an interim loan to the Portland Museum of Art (1981–1986). After passing through Hirsch and Adler Galleries in New York in 1986, the work was sold to the Corcoran Gallery of Art on September 14, 1989. Upon the Corcoran's dissolution, the painting was acquired by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 2014, where it currently resides.

John Singleton Copley painted Thomas Amory II in 1770, an oil on canvas portrait that exemplifies colonial American portraiture and the status of Boston's elite families;. The work remained in the Amory family for several generations before entering the National Gallery of Art, reflecting both its provenance and later institutional recognition. As part of Copley’s mature output, the portrait illustrates his skill in rendering texture and psychological depth, positioning it within the broader trajectory of 18th‑century American portraiture.

John Singleton Copley's oil on canvas portrait, Thomas Amory II, dates to approximately 1771. It presents a seated figure, Thomas Amory II, who gazes directly at the viewer. This painting exemplifies Copley's skill in capturing individual likeness and the material culture of colonial America, offering insight into the period's prominent citizens through its detailed execution and formal composition.

The painting features Thomas Amory II, depicted in refined attire that signifies his social standing. His composed posture and direct gaze convey a sense of self-possession and importance. Through such meticulous representation of clothing and demeanor, Copley not only immortalized a specific individual but also documented the aspirations and affluence characteristic of a wealthy American family during the pre-Revolutionary era.