Alfred Sully
ca. 1839
Medium
Watercolor on ivory
Dimensions
2 3/4 x 2 3/4 in. (7 x 7 cm)
Classification
Painting, miniature
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Gloria Manney, 2006
Accession Number
2006.235.201
Tags
About this artwork
Thomas Sully (1783-1872), America's leading portrait painter of the early 19th century, created this exquisite watercolor on ivory miniature of his son Alfred Sully around 1839. Alfred (1820-1879), then a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point, later became a brigadier general in the Union Army during the Civil War. This intimate 2¾ inch square portrait exemplifies the refined miniature painting tradition that flourished in America before photography's advent. Born in England ...
About the Artist
Thomas Sully · 1783–1872
Thomas Sully, born on June 19, 1783, in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England, to actor parents Matthew Sully and Sarah Chester, emigrated with his family to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1792. Raised in a theatrical environment, young Thomas debuted as a tumbler at age 11 before discovering his artistic talent. He studied miniature painting with his brother Lawrence Sully, brother-in-law Jean Belzon...