Artwork
Levi Hale Willard
Levi Hale Willard is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Samuel H. Sexton. It dates from 1857 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This oil on canvas portrait, created by Samuel H.
About this work
If you like this kind of quiet, careful portrait, look up men, portraits, american, man, portrait for more.
A man in a dark suit sits stiffly against a plain background. His face is lit from the side, casting sharp shadows. One hand rests on a book, the other on his knee.
This portrait was painted in 1857, when photography was still new. Artists like Sexton were hired to make images that felt permanent, more serious than a quick photo. The way the light carves his face makes him look almost carved from stone.
If you like this kind of quiet, careful portrait, look up men, portraits, american, man, portrait for more.
Technique & Style
Samuel H. Sexton painted Levi Hale Willard in oil on canvas in 1857. The portrait measures 68.6 cm in height by 54.6 cm in width, suggesting a vertical, three-quarter-length or bust format typical of mid-19th-century American portraiture. The use of oil paint on canvas support was standard for professional American portraitists of this period, allowing for smooth blending and detailed rendering of facial features and textiles.
The work belongs to the portrait genre and is classified under The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, indicating its significance within the context of American art. No specific information about the painting's current condition, handling, or detailed stylistic analysis is provided in the sources.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Levi Hale Willard was painted by Samuel H. Sexton in 1857, executed in oil on canvas. According to the work's documented inception, the painting was completed in that year. The canvas measures 68.6 by 54.6 centimeters.
The work subsequently entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified within the American Wing and held as a portrait depicting a man. No further details regarding the original commission, the circumstances of its creation, or the chain of ownership prior to its acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art are recorded in the available sources.
Overview
This oil on canvas portrait, created by Samuel H. Sexton in 1857, depicts Levi Hale Willard. The artist captures the sitter in a formal pose, characteristic of mid-19th-century American portraiture. It offers a glimpse into the visual representation of individuals during a period of significant change in image-making.
Subject & Meaning
Levi Hale Willard is shown seated, dressed in a dark suit, with a book resting beneath one hand and the other placed on his knee. His posture is rigid and composed, conveying a sense of decorum and perhaps intellectual engagement. The direct gaze and formal presentation suggest a desire for a dignified and lasting representation of the sitter.
Context
Created in 1857, this portrait emerged during a period when photography was still a relatively nascent technology. While photographs offered quick reproductions, painted portraits like Sexton's provided a sense of permanence and gravitas. Patrons often commissioned oil paintings to achieve a more substantial and enduring visual record, distinguishing them from the burgeoning, less formal photographic medium.
Artist & collection
Portrait of a Gentleman
Portrait of Pavel Tretyakov
Portrait of Piotr Kozakiewicz
Self-Portrait
Retrat del moblista Francesc Vidal i Jevellí
Nickus Weckström
Sanford Robinson Gifford
Portraif of a man – Mr. Zarewicz (?)
John Quincy Adams Ward
Portrait of Mészöly Géza
Portret van Pieter Stortenbeker (1828-1898), kunstschilder- Edwin Edwards
