Ennion Williams
Medium
Watercolor on ivory
Dimensions
1 1/2 x 1 1/8 in. (3.8 x 3 cm)
Classification
Painting, miniature
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Dale T. Johnson Fund, 2006
Accession Number
2006.235.128
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the turbulent year of 1776, as America declared its independence, Charles Willson Peale this exquisite miniature portrait ofEnnion Williams*. Measuring just 1 1/2 x 1 1/8 inches, the watercolor on ivory captures the sitter—a man of evident dignity—in intimate detail, perfect for wearing as a locket or brooch. Peale, a Founding Father of American portraiture and patriot who painted George Washington and other revolutionaries, excelled in these tiny gems, blending European miniaturist traditions with colonial realism. The medium of watercolor on ivory was prized for its luminous translucency...
About the Artist
Charles Willson Peale · 1741–1827
Charles Willson Peale (1741–1827) was an American painter, museum founder, naturalist, and inventor who became the most important American portraitist of the Revolutionary era and a central figure in the cultural life of the young republic. Born in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, he initially trained as a saddler before turning to painting, studying briefly with John Singleton Copley in Boston and ...