Artwork
Boy with a Fawn

Boy with a Fawn is an oil painting. It dates from 1720 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 69.279.1
- Credit line
- Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1969
About this work
A young boy in a red coat cradles a small fawn, the animal calm and nearly asleep. Against the dark background, the eye goes straight to the boy's face and the fawn's spotted fur. No one knows who painted it, made around 1720 in America in a style that feels older, almost European, with light glowing on cheek and ear.
Subject & Meaning
The juxtaposition of the child and the gentle animal creates a thematic emphasis on the natural world and its connection to the sitter.
The artwork portrays a young boy alongside a fawn, combining portraiture with animal imagery. As a portrait, the painting focuses on the human subject while integrating the fawn as a significant accompanying element. The presence of the fawn introduces potential symbolic meanings related to youth, innocence, or a pastoral ideal, though the specific identity of the boy and the exact intended meaning remain unspecified by the available records.
The juxtaposition of the child and the gentle animal creates a thematic emphasis on the natural world and its connection to the sitter.
Technique & Style
Created in 1720 by an unidentified artist, this work is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The painting measures 100 cm in height and 70.2 cm in width. Stylistically, the piece functions as a portrait, featuring a young boy alongside a fawn.
While the specific handling of the brushwork and the current condition of the surface are not detailed in the available records, the composition establishes the subject matter through the depiction of the human figure and the deer. The medium and dimensions align with portrait practices of the early eighteenth century.
History & Provenance
Boy with a Fawn is an oil-on-canvas portrait dated 1720, classified within The American Wing and listed as a portrait; the work depicts a boy alongside a fawn. It is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection in New York. The painting's dimensions are roughly 100 × 70.2 cm, and its material is oil paint on canvas.
No documentation indicates a specific commission or prior owners before the museum's acquisition, and the artist remains unidentified. The available sources do not record a specific accession number or exhibition history for the piece, limiting the record to its current institutional location and classification.
Overview
"Boy with a Fawn" is an oil on canvas painting created in America around 1720 by an unknown artist. This work depicts a young boy cradling a small deer, its spotted coat contrasting with the boy's vibrant red attire. The composition draws the viewer's attention to the figures, highlighted against a subdued background. It resides within the American Wing collection, representing an early example of colonial portraiture.
Artist & collection


















