Artwork
Portrait of a Gentleman
Portrait of a Gentleman is a watercolor painting by the Rococo painting artist Walter Robertson. It dates from 1794 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 2006.235.159
- Credit line
- Dale T. Johnson Fund, 2006
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a portrait, it functions both as a likeness and as a visual statement of the subject’s place within contemporary society.
The work titled Portrait of a Gentleman, executed by Walter Robertson in 1794 as a watercolor on ivory, presents a single male sitter rendered in the conventional portrait genre. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s records, the main subject is a man, and the piece is classified within The American Wing, indicating its significance in early American art. The depiction of a formally dressed gentleman conveys notions of social standing and respectability typical of late‑18th‑century portraiture, suggesting that the sitter was a person of wealth and moral standing.
As a portrait, it functions both as a likeness and as a visual statement of the subject’s place within contemporary society.
Technique & Style
This portrait is executed in watercolor on ivory, a miniature-painting support that allowed Robertson to render fine detail at a very small scale. The work measures approximately 5.2 inches in height by 4.5 inches in width, a compact format characteristic of late-eighteenth-century portrait miniatures held in the hand or worn as keepsakes. The ivory ground provides a smooth, luminous surface that reflects light through translucent watercolor washes, lending the sitter's skin a soft, lifelike glow.
Robertson's handling reflects the refined English-influenced miniature tradition popular in America around 1794, with delicate brushwork suited to the intimate scale. The small dimensions and ivory support indicate careful preservation conditions typical of miniatures in museum collections, though specific condition reports are not documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
The Portrait of a Gentleman was created by the artist Walter Robertson in 1794. Executed as a watercolor on ivory, the work measures 5.2 by 4.5 inches and depicts a male subject. While the specific commission details and the original owner's identity are not recorded in the available documentation, the piece has been securely attributed to Robertson based on its stylistic execution and date of inception.
The artwork is currently held within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified under the American Wing. No further information regarding the chain of ownership between its creation in 1794 and its acquisition by the museum is provided in the current records.
Context
The watercolor Portrait of a Gentleman (1794) by Walter Robertson is a 18th‑century American portrait executed in watercolor on ivory. It is classified as a portrait and is housed in The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it forms part of the museum’s collection of early American paintings. The work reflects the stylistic conventions of portraiture in the young United States and is studied as part of Robertson’s oeuvre within the decorative arts.
Overview
Walter Robertson's Portrait of a Gentleman, created around 1794, is a watercolor miniature rendered on ivory. This intimate artwork presents an unidentified man, whose direct gaze and softly illuminated features are captured with delicate precision. Its small scale reflects its original purpose as a personal keepsake, a common practice before the advent of photography.
Artist & collection
