Artwork
Portrait of a Gentleman
Portrait of a Gentleman is a watercolor painting by the British Romanticist artist Henry Williams. It dates from 1824 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The depiction aligns with conventional portrait conventions of the period, emphasizing the subject's status through formal composition and medium.
The work titled Portrait of a Gentleman, executed by Henry Williams in 1824 as a watercolor on ivory, portrays an unidentified man. Its classification within The American Wing and designation as a portrait place it within the genre of early-19th-century American portraiture, where the sitter is presented as a gentleman. The depiction aligns with conventional portrait conventions of the period, emphasizing the subject's status through formal composition and medium.
The painting is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is recorded as a portrait of a man.
Technique & Style
Henry Williams executed this 1824 portrait in watercolor on ivory, a medium prized in early nineteenth-century American miniature painting for its luminous, delicate surface. The work measures 5.5 by 4.4 centimeters, an intimate scale typical of portrait miniatures intended for personal keepsake or locket display. Applied to the smooth, non-absorbent ivory support, the watercolor allowed for fine detail and subtle tonal gradations in the gentleman's likeness.
As part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing collection, the piece exemplifies the refined technique and small-scale format characteristic of the period's miniature portrait tradition.
History & Provenance
The miniature was painted in 1824 by Henry Williams and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified under The American Wing. The piece is a watercolor on ivory measuring 5.5 by 4.4 centimeters. No documented commission or early owner has been traced in available records; the portrait entered the museum as part of its American Wing holdings.
The sources do not provide a specific inventory or accession number, nor do they list any past or upcoming exhibition history for this portrait.
Overview
Created by Henry Williams in 1824, this watercolor on ivory depicts an unnamed gentleman. The miniature portrait is a notable example from the American Wing's collection, offering a glimpse into early 19th-century American portraiture. Its small scale suggests it was likely intended for personal possession and intimate viewing.
Artist & collection
Artist
Henry Williams had a habit of turning people’s faces into tiny mirrors, his watercolors on ivory are so precise you can count the threads in a coat’s weave.
