Artwork
Thomas Macdonough
Thomas Macdonough is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Joseph Wood. It dates from 1818 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
A man in a dark navy uniform looks straight at you, gold buttons and epaulets shining against the black coat. His face is calm, almost tired. This is Thomas Macdonough, the naval officer who won a battle on Lake Champlain in 1814. Joseph Wood showed no ships or flags, just the man in quiet light.
Subject & Meaning
Joseph Wood's 1818 portrait depicts Thomas Macdonough, a man whose primary identity as the artwork's subject is firmly established in its genre and focus.
Joseph Wood's 1818 portrait depicts Thomas Macdonough, a man whose primary identity as the artwork's subject is firmly established in its genre and focus. As a portrait, the painting functions as a representational record of Macdonough, capturing his likeness and presence. The work's meaning centers on commemorating and honoring the sitter.
By rendering Macdonough in oil on wood, the piece serves as a formal acknowledgment of the individual, preserving his image for posterity. The iconography is straightforward and traditional, lacking overt allegorical symbols, and instead relies on the direct depiction of the man to convey his significance and identity as the central subject of the composition.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on wood, the portrait is a relatively small-scale panel painting, measuring 25.1 cm in height by 17.2 cm in width. The support is a wooden panel rather than canvas, a format consistent with the modest dimensions of the work. The medium is oil paint, applied to that panel support.
Classified within the portrait genre, the work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Thomas Macdonough was executed in 1818 by Joseph Wood using oil on wood panel. It portrays the naval officer and was classified within The American Wing as a representative example of early American portraiture. The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains, and its dating is confirmed by the museum's catalog entry. No contemporary documentation of a commission survives.
The portrait of Thomas Macdonough by Joseph Wood is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it belongs to the institution's American Wing collection. Painted in oil on wood in 1818, the work measures 25.1 by 17.2 centimeters. No accession number or specific exhibition history is recorded in the available documentation.
Overview
This oil on wood portrait depicts Thomas Macdonough, a celebrated naval officer from the War of 1812. The artwork captures him in his dark navy uniform, featuring prominent gold buttons and epaulets. Created a few years after his significant victory on Lake Champlain, the painting presents a direct gaze from a figure who was already widely recognized. It resides within the American Wing collection.
Artist & collection
