Portrait of William Pepperrell
1745
oil
From the collection of Peabody Essex Museum
1745
oil
From the collection of Peabody Essex Museum
The painting depicts a man standing in front of a landscape, wearing a red coat with gold trim and buttons, a white shirt, and white stockings. He has a powdered wig and is holding a rolled-up paper in his left hand. His right hand is pointing downward. In the background, there is a body of water with a ship and a cityscape on the horizon. The sky is blue with white clouds. The painting is a portrait of a man, likely a historical figure, and is an example of 18th-century portraiture. To learn more about the artist's use of chiaroscuro, look up John Smibert.
