John St. Clair
Medium
Oil on copper
Dimensions
1 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (4.4 x 3.5 cm)
Classification
Painting, miniature
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Dale T. Johnson Fund, 2012
Accession Number
2012.355a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite miniature portrait of John St. Clair, painted by John Singleton Copley in 1758, measures just 1¾ by 1⅜ inches. Executed in oil on copper, the work reflects the intimate scale often favored for personal keepsakes in colonial America. Copley, then a young artist working in Boston, demonstrates remarkable precision in rendering the sitter’s features on such a small surface. Oil on copper was prized for its smooth finish and durability, allowing fine details to endure over time. As one of America’s leading colonial painters, Copley used this medium to create lifelike portraits that...
About the Artist
John Singleton Copley · 1738–1815
John Singleton Copley (1738–1815) was the greatest American painter of the colonial era and one of the finest portraitists in the English-speaking world. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he was largely self-taught, learning from mezzotint reproductions of European paintings and from his stepfather Peter Pelham, an engraver. By his early twenties, Copley had established himself as Boston's leading po...