Artwork
Mr. Clark of Chester, New York
Mr. Clark of Chester, New York is an oil painting. It dates from 1840 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This small-scale oil portrait depicts Mr.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject is presented simply as a man, with the title serving as the primary identifier for his identity and origin.
The work depicts a single male figure, identified in its title as Mr. Clark of Chester, New York. Created around 1840 by an anonymous artist, the piece functions as a straightforward portrait genre work without explicit allegorical or narrative symbolism described in available records. The subject is presented simply as a man, with the title serving as the primary identifier for his identity and origin.
As an oil-on-glass painting held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the object represents a specific instance of mid-nineteenth-century American portraiture, capturing the likeness of an individual from Chester, New York, though no further iconographic details or specific symbolic meanings regarding the sitter's profession or status are documented in the provided sources.
Technique & Style
Created in 1840, this portrait utilizes oil paint applied directly onto a glass support, a distinctive medium choice that defines its material character. The work measures approximately 38.7 by 25.7 centimetres, presenting a vertical format typical for single-figure depictions of the era. As an anonymous production, the piece relies on the inherent properties of the glass surface to achieve its visual effect, though specific details regarding the artist's brushwork, layering techniques, or current state of preservation are not documented in the available records.
The classification within the American Wing underscores its relevance to domestic artistic practices of the period, where such reverse-painting or glass-supported methods were occasionally employed for portraiture.
History & Provenance
Mr. Clark of Chester, New York is an oil-on-glass portrait dated to 1840, executed by an unidentified artist. The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and classified within the museum's American Wing, measuring 38.7 cm in height by 25.7 cm in width. It depicts a man and is identified as a portrait genre piece.
No information is available regarding the circumstances of its commission, the identity of the sitter beyond the title, or the chain of ownership prior to its acquisition; the specific accession number and any exhibition history are likewise not provided in the available records.
Context
It is an 1840 oil-on-glass portrait titled "Mr. Clark of Chester, New York," held in The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work is attributed to an anonymous painter and measures 38.7 × 25.7 cm. As a mid-19th-century American portrait, it reflects the practice of anonymous artists producing likenesses for local elites, offering insight into regional identity and the development of portraiture in the United States. Its inclusion in a major museum collection underscores scholarly attention to anonymous portraiture as a distinct genre within early American art.
Overview
This small-scale oil portrait depicts Mr. Clark of Chester, New York, rendered with a solemn expression and formal posture. Executed on glass, a distinctive choice for American portraiture of its era, the work presents a man in a dark suit against an equally dark ground. Its intimate size and detailed rendering evoke the precision often associated with early photographic images.
Artist & collection
