Benjamin Turo of Bermuda
ca. 1825
Medium
Painting-Miniature
Classification
Painting-Miniature
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Albert A. Best, Edison, N.J.
Accession Number
1986.64.2
Tags
About this artwork
This portrait of Benjamin Turo was probably painted while the artist was visiting the Caribbean islands in the early 1820s. There is no record of a Benjamin Turo living in Bermuda at this time.
Art Historical Context
Behold the exquisite miniature portrait *Benjamin Turo of Bermuda by Eliab Metcalf created around 1825 and now treasured in the Smithsonian American Art. This intimate painting captures the likeness of its enigmatic male subject in a format typical of the early 19th centurysmall-scale works often worn as personal keepsakes or jewelry. Metcalf, an American known for his delicate portrait, rendered Turo with fine attention to facial features and attire, evoking the era emphasis on personal identity amid transatlantic travels. Likely painted during Metcalf's visit to the Caribbean islands in the...
About the Artist
Eliab Metcalf (American|American|American) · 1796 |1785 |1798 –1886 |1834 |1879
American, Jefferson, New Jersey 1796–1886 Maplewood, New Jersey|American, Franklin, Massachusetts 1785–1834 New York|American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1798–1879 New Haven, Connecticut