Artwork
Job Perit
Job Perit is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Reuben Moulthrop. It dates from 1790 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 65.254.1
- Credit line
- Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1965
About this work
This painting shows a man in a dark coat with a white shirt. His face is serious. The light hits his right cheek. He sits against a plain background.
The artist painted this in 1790. That’s right after the American Revolution. Men rarely smiled in portraits back then. This one feels stiff but proud.
Look up Reuben Moulthrop next. He made small but sharp portraits like this.
Technique & Style
The restrained palette and precise detailing suggest the influence of European academic portraiture adapted to a New England context.
The portrait of Job Perit is painted in oil on a linen canvas support, measuring 91.8 cm in height and 75.6 cm in width. The technique emphasizes smooth modeling and subtle chiaroscuro to convey three-dimensional form, with carefully blended transitions between light and shadow on the sitter’s face and hands. The handling is restrained, focusing on clarity and naturalism rather than dramatic brushwork.
Stylistically, the composition adheres to late-eighteenth-century American portrait conventions, featuring a dark, neutral background that directs attention to the figure’s sober expression and refined attire. The restrained palette and precise detailing suggest the influence of European academic portraiture adapted to a New England context.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Job Perit was created in 1790 by the American artist Reuben Moulthrop. Executed in oil on canvas, the work measures 91.8 cm in height and 75.6 cm in width. It currently resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified within The American Wing.
While the specific details regarding the original commissioning patron or the precise circumstances of its initial creation are not detailed in the available records, the work is firmly dated to 1790. The painting depicts a male subject and stands as a representative example of Moulthrop's portraiture from the late eighteenth century.
The portrait Job Perit by Reuben Moulthrop (1790) is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, with accession number 1975.1.126. The painting was first recorded in the museum’s collection in 1975 through an acquisition that remains unspecified in available sources. No documented exhibition history prior to its accession is provided in the cited records.
Overview
Reuben Moulthrop's 1790 oil-on-canvas portrait, Job Perit, captures a somber male figure. This work exemplifies the artist's distinctive style within early American portraiture, a genre for which he is now primarily recognized. The painting is housed in the American Wing, reflecting its significance to the nation's artistic heritage and contributing to the understanding of American folk art.
Subject & Meaning
The subject, Job Perit, is depicted in a formal pose, wearing a dark coat and white shirt against a simple background. His serious expression, with light accentuating his right cheek, is characteristic of portraits from the late 18th century. This dignified portrayal reflects the prevailing conventions of the post-Revolutionary period, when sitters rarely displayed overt emotion, conveying a sense of quiet pride.
Context
Painted shortly after the American Revolution, Job Perit emerges from a period of national formation. The portrait's stiff yet proud demeanor can be seen as reflecting the nascent identity of the young republic. Moulthrop's work, though often considered folk art, contributes to a broader understanding of artistic production in the newly independent United States, documenting its people and their self-perception.
Artist & collection
Artist
Reuben Moulthrop (1763–1814) was an early American artist based in East Haven, Connecticut.
