Master Rees Goring Thomas
ca. 1783–84
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
66 x 47 5/8 in. (167.6 x 121 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Maria DeWitt Jesup, from the collection of her husband, Morris K. Jesup, 1914
Accession Number
15.30.35
Tags
Art Historical Context
Ralph Earl’s *Master Goring Thomas* (. 178384) captures a poised gentleman at a moment the new United States was its cultural identity. Painted after Earl’s return several years in England, the life-size on canvas reflects both British Manner traditions and a American directness. The, identified only by title “Master,” holds open book, a that underscores the era’s on education and refinement the emerging elite. Ear’s handling of rich fabrics polished wood, and sitter’s steady gaze demonstrates skill at conveying status without overt embellishment The generous scale—over feet tall—inv viewers ...
About the Artist
Ralph Earl · 1751–1801
Ralph Earl (1751–1801) was born on May 11 in Shrewsbury or Leicester, Massachusetts, the eldest of four children to Ralph Earle, a colonel in the Revolutionary army, and Phebe Whittemore Earl. Growing up amid farmers and craftsmen in Worcester County, Earl displayed prodigious talent as a self-taught artist, emulating the works of John Singleton Copley after observing his half-brother Henry Pelham...