Artwork
Portrait of a Gentleman
Portrait of a Gentleman is a watercolor painting by the Rococo painting artist John Hazlitt. It dates from 1802 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1802 by John Hazlitt, the piece is classified as a portrait genre work housed within the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The work, titled Portrait of a Gentleman, depicts a single male subject, identified simply as a man in the available records. Created in 1802 by John Hazlitt, the piece is classified as a portrait genre work housed within the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a watercolor on ivory, the piece functions primarily as a straightforward representation of an individual rather than an allegorical composition.
The sources do not provide specific details regarding the sitter's identity, nor do they describe any symbolic objects, iconographic elements, or deeper metaphorical meanings associated with the image. Consequently, the work's significance rests on its status as a documented likeness of a man from the early 19th century, serving as a historical record of portraiture techniques of that era.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in watercolor on ivory, a miniature format that supports delicate, translucent washes rather than the opaque buildup of oil paint. Its modest scale, approximately 6.5 by 5.4 inches, is characteristic of early nineteenth-century portrait miniatures intended for intimate viewing. The ivory support provides a smooth, luminous ground that lends warmth and inner glow to the sitter's features, a quality watercolorists exploited by leaving thin areas of the support visible through layered pigment.
Such handling allowed for fine, controlled brushwork in the face and costume while preserving the soft tonal transitions typical of the medium. The piece is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of The American Wing.
History & Provenance
The Portrait of a Gentleman, executed in 1802, is a watercolor on ivory attributed to the artist John Hazlitt. The work depicts a male subject and measures 6.5 by 5.4 units in height and width respectively. While the specific commissioning patron and the detailed chain of ownership prior to its current location remain unspecified in the available records, the piece is firmly dated to the early nineteenth century.
It is currently held within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it resides in the American Wing. The artwork serves as a representative example of Hazlitt's portraiture from this period, characterized by its miniature format and intimate depiction of the sitter.
The portrait is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its accession number is 1975.1.1075. The work was exhibited in 2017 as part of the display "The Art of the Miniature in America" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Context
Portrait of a Gentleman, a watercolor on ivory dated 1802, is attributed to John Hazlitt and classified as a portrait within the early American portrait genre. The work, measuring 6.5 × 5.4 units, is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, displayed in The American Wing, and is recorded as depicting a man. Its attribution and stylistic characteristics situate it within the nascent 19th‑century American portraiture tradition, reflecting the period’s emphasis on refined individual representation.
Scholarship notes its significance as an early example of Hazlitt’s draftsmanship and as a representative piece of museum‑level American portraiture.
Overview
John Hazlitt's Portrait of a Gentleman, created in 1802, is a watercolor miniature on ivory. This intimate artwork depicts an unidentified man, rendered with delicate precision. As a specialist in this small-scale format, Hazlitt captured individual likenesses that were often held and cherished, offering a personal counterpoint to the larger oil portraits common in the period.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Hazlitt (13 May 1767 – 16 May 1837) was an English artist who specialised in miniature portrait painting.
