Charles Carnan Ridgely
1820
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 126.3 x 101.5 cm (49 3/4 x 39 15/16 in.) framed: 152.7 x 128.3 x 11.1 cm (60 1/8 x 50 1/2 x 4 3/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John Ridgely
Accession Number
1945.12.1
Art Historical Context
Behold the commanding portrait of *Charles Carnan Ridgely* (1820), painted by the esteemed American artist Thomas Sully in oil on canvas. Measuring an impressive 126.3 x 101.5 cm, this life-size depiction captures the subject's dignified presence, showcasing Sully's mastery as one of early 19th-century America's premier portraitists. Sully, influenced by British romantics like Sir Thomas Lawrence, employed fluid brushwork and luminous color to convey elegance and vitality, rendering fabrics and flesh with exquisite realism. Completed in 1820, amid America's post-War of 1812 optimism and risin...
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...