Cadwallader Colden

The portrait of Cadwallader Colden was executed in 1750 by the English-born painter John Wollaston, who worked in the American colonies. Executed in oil on canvas, the work portrays the New York merchant and politician as a seated sitter, characteristic of mid‑eighteenth‑century portraiture. Following its creation, the painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it has been catalogued as part of the American Wing and remains on public view.

The work measures 76.2 cm by 63.5 cm and is recorded in museum records as a distinct piece within the museum’s holdings.

The portrait of Cadwallader Colden, painted by John Wollaston in 1750, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work is classified within the museum's American Wing. While the painting's location and institutional ownership are clearly established, the provided records do not specify a unique accession or inventory number. Furthermore, no information regarding the artwork's exhibition history is available in the current sources.

Painted by John Wollaston in 1750, this oil on canvas portrait depicts Cadwallader Colden, an Irish-born physician, scientist, and colonial administrator who later served as the governor of New York. The work presents Colden in a three-quarter view, seated in a wooden chair against a dark, neutral background that emphasizes his figure. He is dressed in formal mid-18th-century attire, including a dark coat and waistcoat, with his hands resting naturally to display the dexterity associated with his scientific and medical pursuits.

Wollaston, a British artist active in the American colonies, employs a restrained palette and precise brushwork to render the sitter's facial features and the texture of his clothing with a high degree of realism. The composition reflects the conventions of British portraiture of the period, balancing dignity with a sense of individual character. Created during Colden's tenure as a prominent intellectual in the colonies, the painting serves as a visual record of a key figure in New York's colonial history before his elevation to the governorship.

It stands as a significant example of Wollaston's contribution to early American portraiture, capturing the stature of a man who bridged the worlds of science and politics.

The artistic approach seen in this portrait shares characteristics with the work of other painters active in the American colonies during the eighteenth century. For example, the stylistic tendencies and compositional choices evident here can be compared to the oeuvre of artists such as John Wollaston, providing a broader understanding of the period's portrait tradition.