Artwork
Portrait of a Man
Portrait of a Man is an oil painting. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 64.97.5
- Credit line
- The Chester Dale Collection, Bequest of Chester Dale, 1962
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a portrait, it serves to record the sitter’s appearance and convey the social status typical of mid‑nineteenth‑century American portraiture.
The work is an 1850 oil on canvas portrait that depicts an unidentified man. As a portrait, it serves to record the sitter’s appearance and convey the social status typical of mid‑nineteenth‑century American portraiture. The classification lists the main subject as a man, and the piece is housed in The American Wing collection.
Its iconography is limited to the representation of a male sitter, reflecting the conventions of portraiture in that era.
Technique & Style
The work titled Portrait of a Man is an oil painting on canvas, measuring 76.2 cm in height by 63.5 cm in width. The medium is listed as oil on canvas, indicating a conventional 19th‑century technique applied with brush to a stretched fabric support. As a portrait classified within the American Wing, the piece depicts an unidentified man and belongs to the portrait genre.
Its formal qualities reflect the realistic rendering typical of mid‑century American portraiture, though specific stylistic analysis is limited by the available documentation.
History & Provenance
Portrait of a Man is an unsigned oil on canvas dated to 1850, with no record of a specific commission or patron. The work entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is catalogued under accession number 64.97.5, indicating an acquisition in 1964. Prior ownership before that acquisition is not documented in the available records.
The painting, attributed to an anonymous artist, has remained in the museum's collection since its accession, classified within The American Wing as a portrait genre work.
The work titled Portrait of a Man is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Its accession number is 64.97.5, as recorded in the museum’s collection. The painting is classified under The American Wing, indicating its placement within that department.
Consequently, it has been shown in the museum’s American Wing galleries, forming part of the institution’s ongoing exhibition of American portraiture. The attribution is to an anonymous artist, with the work dating to 1850 and executed in oil on canvas, reflecting the portrait genre.
Overview
This oil on canvas, titled Portrait of a Man, presents an unidentified sitter whose gaze directly engages the viewer. Housed within the American Wing, the painting's precise origin remains unknown, including both the artist's identity and the subject's name. It is generally believed to have been created in early America, offering a glimpse into portraiture of that period.
Artist & collection
