Artwork
Colonel William Leete Stone
Colonel William Leete Stone is an oil painting by the Realist artist William Page. It dates from 1839 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
No specific details regarding the artist's handling, brushwork, or the current physical condition of the painting are provided in the available records.
Colonel William Leete Stone is an oil painting executed on a canvas support by William Page in 1839. The work measures 91.4 cm in height and 73.6 cm in width. As an oil-on-canvas portrait from the American school, the piece utilizes traditional materials standard for the period's formal portraiture.
No specific details regarding the artist's handling, brushwork, or the current physical condition of the painting are provided in the available records.
History & Provenance
The portrait was commissioned and completed in 1839 by the American artist William Page.
It entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1961 as accession number 1961.171. The work remains in the museum’s holdings, where it is recorded as an oil painting on canvas measuring 91.4 cm in height and 73.6 cm in width.
Colonel William Leete Stone is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is accessioned as 1961.171. The work measures 91.4 cm in height and 73.6 cm in width. It was first exhibited in the museum's collection and has been part of the institution's holdings since its acquisition.
Overview
William Page’s 1839 oil on canvas, titled Colonel William Leete Stone, portrays a solitary figure seated at a desk. The composition isolates the subject against a dark, unadorned backdrop, drawing the eye to his facial expression and the precise movements of his hands as he writes with a feather quill.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, identified as Colonel William Leete Stone, is rendered in a dark coat and white cravat, his left hand steadying the paper while his right hand guides the pen. The inclusion of a small key suspended from his cravat adds a symbolic element, suggesting authority or a hidden narrative beyond the act of writing.
Context
The portrait reflects the period’s interest in documenting notable public figures through intimate, study‑like compositions. By focusing on the act of writing, Page aligns the colonel’s personal identity with his professional duties, a common approach in American portraiture of the era that sought to convey character through everyday tasks.
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