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Portrait of a Man Holding a Glass

Joseph Daniel

1784

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Rococo painting Romanticism 18th Century Portrait

Dominant colour

About this work

A man in a dark coat holds a wine glass up to the light. His face is half in shadow, half lit by a soft glow. The background is plain, so your eyes stay on him. Joseph Daniel and his brother Abraham often signed their work the same way—just "Daniel." Clients might not know which brother painted their portrait. This quiet competition makes the painting feel like a secret handshake between artist and sitter. Look up *chiaroscuro* to see how light and shadow shape faces in other portraits.

The story of this work

Overview

Joseph Daniel was the son Nochaniah Daniel of Bridgewater, Somerset, and among the first known Jewish artists of South West England. Joseph’s work has often been confused with that of his brother Abraham, with whom he competed for patronage. Neither commonly used his forename in signature nor in advertisement, possibly with a view to capitalize on the other’s clientele. Little is known about the brothers’ education apart from the fact that they were trained by their mother. Joseph seldom exhibited his miniatures in public. Only in recent years has there been an increased confidence in…

Did you know?

While some highly successful artists were able to support themselves by working only in miniature, it was more common for them to work in a variety of media like Joseph Daniel who was a miniature painter, engraver, and jeweler who also executed pictures in oil, crayon, and hairwork.

Read the full account in the museum source.