1789
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Portrait of a Man is a 1789 unspecified by John Smart, a Rococo painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a small painted portrait of a man with powdered hair, light blue eyes, and a brown coat over a white cravat. The background is plain brown. Smart painted this in 1789 while living in Madras, India. The man is likely a British merchant or official—one of many Smart painted far from home. The tiny gold frame is set with real half-pearls, a quiet sign of wealth. To see more of these delicate portraits, look up John I Smart (British, 1741–1811).
This unknown sitter has remarkably light blue eyes, a ruddy complexion, and powdered hair worn en queue . He wears a brown coat with a white cravat and waistcoat. The background is muddy brown. The miniature is housed in its original gold frame, which is set with genuine half pearls. This man was painted in 1789 when John Smart was working in Madras, India. He is probably a Madras civil servant or merchant. This work is typical of Smart’s portraits of nonmilitary gentlemen living in India. Two other miniatures also painted by Smart in India in 1789 show striking similarities: Portrait of the…
This miniature is housed in its original gold frame set with real half pearls.
Read the full account in the museum source.
John Smart (1 May 1741 – 1 May 1811) was an English painter who specialised in portrait miniatures. He was a contemporary of Richard Cosway, George Engleheart, William Wood and Richard Crosse.
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