Artwork
Portrait of a Gentleman and His Daughter
Portrait of a Gentleman and His Daughter is a watercolor painting by the Romanticist artist Francois M. Guyol de Guiran. It dates from 1805 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1805 by François-Marie Guyol de Guiran, this watercolor on ivory and paper functions as a dual portrait depicting a father and his young daughter.
Created in 1805 by François-Marie Guyol de Guiran, this watercolor on ivory and paper functions as a dual portrait depicting a father and his young daughter. The work's primary subject is the familial bond, classified under the theme of family. As an intimate miniature, the iconography centers on the proximity and interaction of the two sitters, serving as a visual record of their lineage and connection rather than incorporating complex allegorical symbols. The composition emphasizes the domestic unit, capturing a moment of shared presence between the generations.
Technique & Style
The Portrait of a Gentleman and His Daughter is executed in watercolor on an ivory support that has been prepared with painted paper, a technique typical of early-19th-century portrait miniatures. The work measures about 8.9 × 11.6 cm and employs watercolor pigments on ivory, a fragile yet luminous medium that requires careful handling to preserve its surface. The composition depicts a father and his daughter in a closely framed, intimate arrangement, rendered with fine brushwork and a restrained palette that emphasizes delicate facial detail and subtle modeling.
The formal style reflects neoclassical portrait conventions, balancing realistic representation with the decorative precision expected of miniature paintings in the Metropolitan Museum's collection.
History & Provenance
The watercolor-on-ivory miniature Portrait of a Gentleman and His Daughter was created by François-Marie Guyol de Guiran in 1805. The painting is held within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, specifically under The American Wing, with dimensions recorded at 8.9 cm in height and 11.6 cm in width. The work's inception date situates it within the early nineteenth-century portrait tradition, aligning with Guyol de Guiran's known period of activity. No documented commission, early ownership, accession number, or exhibition history is provided in the cited sources.
Context
The painting Portrait of a Gentleman and His Daughter, executed in 1805 by François-Marie Guyol de Guiran, is classified as a portrait within The American Wing's collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rendered in watercolor on ivory and paper, the work depicts a father and daughter. Scholarship notes its technical use of watercolor on ivory, a medium associated with early nineteenth-century European portraiture, and situates the piece within the artist's broader output of family-oriented portraiture.
Its inclusion in a major museum context underscores its significance as an example of elite portraiture during the period.
Overview
This intimate work, titled Portrait of a Gentleman and His Daughter, presents a quiet scene rendered in watercolor on ivory and painted paper. The composition features a man in a dark coat, holding a young girl in a white dress on his lap. Both figures gaze directly forward, conveying a sense of calm stillness against a softly rendered gray background. The artwork is part of the American Wing collection, reflecting its place within American art history.
Artist & collection
Artist
Francois M. Guyol de Guiran was a French-born miniaturist who worked in the United States in the early nineteenth century, when demand for small painted likenesses was strong. Records place him in St. Louis and later in…
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