Artwork
John Inman
John Inman is a watercolor painting by the American Folk Art artist Henry Inman. It dates from 1830 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 2006.235.312
- Credit line
- Gift of Gloria Manney, 2006
About this work
Technique & Style
This choice of medium and substrate is characteristic of the miniature portrait tradition, allowing for delicate rendering of facial features and skin tones.
Henry Inman executed the 1830 portrait of John Inman using watercolor applied directly onto an ivory support. This choice of medium and substrate is characteristic of the miniature portrait tradition, allowing for delicate rendering of facial features and skin tones. The work measures 8.4 centimeters in height and 6.8 centimeters in width, indicating a small-scale format typical for intimate portraiture of the era.
As a watercolor on ivory, the piece relies on the translucency of the pigment and the luminous quality of the backing to achieve its formal effect. The classification of the work within the portrait genre reflects its focus on capturing the likeness and presence of the male subject. The Metropolitan Museum of Art currently houses the piece, preserving the original materials and handling associated with early 19th-century American miniature painting.
History & Provenance
The watercolor on ivory portrait titled John Inman, created by Henry Inman in 1830, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Within the museum's organizational structure, the work is classified under The American Wing. While the source material confirms the artwork's presence in the institution and its physical dimensions, it does not provide a specific accession or inventory number, nor does it list any exhibition history for this piece. The portrait depicts a man and measures 8.4 inches in height by 6.8 inches in width.
Context
Henry Inman created a watercolor portrait on ivory in 1830, portraying an unidentified man; the work measures 8.4 × 6.8 cm and is classified as a portrait within the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its inclusion in the museum’s American Wing reflects the early nineteenth‑century American interest in intimate, miniature portraiture and situates Inman’s practice within the broader development of U.S. portrait painting. The piece is part of the museum’s permanent collection, documented in both the institutional catalogue and Wikidata entries, which record its creation date, dimensions, and genre as portrait.
Overview
This small watercolor portrait, titled John Inman, was created by Henry Inman around 1830. Rendered on ivory, it presents a male subject, likely a relative given the shared surname, who gazes directly forward. The artwork is characteristic of the miniature portraits popular in the early 19th century and is housed within the American Wing collection.
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