Artwork
Portrait of a Gentleman
Portrait of a Gentleman is a watercolor painting. It dates from 1840 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The piece belongs to the American Wing collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is classified as a portrait depicting an unidentified gentleman.
The work is executed in watercolor on an ivory support, a technique typical of early‑19th‑century American portrait miniatures. It measures approximately 5.3 × 4 inches and was created around 1840, as indicated by its inception date. The piece belongs to the American Wing collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is classified as a portrait depicting an unidentified gentleman.
Stylistically, it presents a conventional, realistic rendering of a male sitter, consistent with contemporary portrait genre expectations. The anonymous execution and modest scale reflect the modest patronage and intimate format common among mid‑century portrait drawings.
History & Provenance
Created in 1840, the watercolor on ivory known as Portrait of a Gentleman was executed by an anonymous artist. The work, which depicts a single male subject, measures approximately 5.3 inches in height and 4 inches in width. It was later acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, entering the collection in 2006 under the accession number 2006.235.96.
The piece is currently housed within the museum's Department of American Art. While the specific commission details and original ownership chain prior to the museum's acquisition are not detailed in the available records, the work's attribution remains as by an unknown hand from the mid-19th century.
The Portrait of a Gentleman is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under the accession number 2006.235.96. Classified within the museum's American Wing, the watercolor on ivory was produced in 1840 by an unidentified artist. No exhibition history is recorded in the available documentation for this work.
Context
Portrait of a Gentleman, executed in watercolor on ivory circa 1840, exemplifies early American portraiture within the genre of portrait painting. The work, attributed to an anonymous hand, is housed in The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession 2006.235.96) and is catalogued as a portrait depicting a man. Its classification underscores the significance of domestic portraiture in the antebellum period, while scholarly attention highlights the technical conventions of watercolor on ivory practiced in the United States during the 1840s.
The piece contributes to the broader narrative of American artistic identity by illustrating the prevalence of portraiture among elite subjects in the early republic.
Overview
This miniature, titled Portrait of a Gentleman, is rendered in watercolor on ivory. It depicts a man in a dark coat, whose gaze directly engages the viewer. Details such as his crisp collar and neatly trimmed sideburns are precisely rendered, despite the work's diminutive scale, with the subject's face being exceptionally small.
Artist & collection
