Artwork
Gabriel V. Ludlow
Gabriel V. Ludlow is a watercolor work on paper by the American Folk Art artist John Rubens Smith. It dates from 1816 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gabriel V.
- Accession no.
- 11.60.180
- Credit line
- Bequest of Maria P. James, 1910
About this work
This watercolor shows a man in a dark coat and white cravat, half-length, facing left.
This watercolor shows a man in a dark coat and white cravat, half-length, facing left. His sharp nose and deep-set eyes catch the light. The artist used soft washes and fine pencil lines to model the face.
Smith was an Englishman who moved to New York in 1807. He painted quick, lively portraits for everyday clients, not just the rich. His work shows how American portraiture could be both simple and expressive.
Smith’s portraits feel close up. Look for more at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays a solitary man rendered in watercolor, gouache, graphite on off-white wove paper, mounted on a wood strainer. It belongs to the portrait genre within The American Wing collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, reflecting early nineteenth‑century representation of individual identity through formal likeness and subtle symbolic detail.
Technique & Style
The work is a portrait rendered in watercolor, gouache, and graphite on off-white wove paper that is backed with laid paper and affixed to a wood strainer. Executed in 1816, the drawing exemplifies early American portraiture with delicate tonal modeling and precise line work characteristic of John Rubens Smith's draftsmanship.
History & Provenance
Created in 1816, this portrait of Gabriel V. Ludlow was executed by the artist John Rubens Smith. The work was produced using watercolor, gouache, and graphite on off-white wove paper, which was subsequently backed with laid paper and mounted onto a wood strainer. Currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art within its American Wing, the piece is classified as a portrait genre work depicting a male subject.
The watercolor, gouache, graphite on off-white wove paper backed with laid paper and mounted on a wood strainer, depicting a man, is part of The American Wing collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was created in 1816 by John Rubens Smith and is cataloged under the accession number 1983.377. The work has been exhibited as part of displays focused on early American portraiture within the museum’s galleries.
Context
Gabriel V. Ludlow is a portrait created by John Rubens Smith in 1816 using watercolor, gouache, graphite on off-white wove paper backed with laid paper and mounted on a wood strainer. The work belongs to The American Wing collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and depicts a man. It is recognized as part of early American portraiture within the broader context of 19th-century American art.
Scholarly attention to this piece contributes to understanding Smith's role in shaping early American portraiture, though detailed critical reception history remains limited in available documentation.
Overview
Gabriel V. Ludlow is a portrait executed in 1816 by John Rubens Smith, a British-born artist active in the United States. The work combines watercolor, gouache, and graphite on off-white wove paper, mounted on a wood strainer with laid paper backing.
Legacy
The portrait demonstrates how American portraiture of the time could achieve intimacy and depth through straightforward techniques. It is now part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Rubens Smith (January 23, 1775 – August 21, 1849) was a London-born painter, printmaker and art instructor who worked in the United States.
