Matthew Clarkson
ca. 1794
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
36 1/16 x 28 1/4 in. (91.6 x 71.8 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Helen Shelton Clarkson, 1937
Accession Number
38.61
Tags
Art Historical Context
Gilbert Stuart's *Matthew Clarkson* (ca. 1794) is a striking oil-on-canvas portrait capturing the poised elegance of a prominent New York merchant during the early years of the American Republic. Measuring 36 1/16 x 28 1/4 inches, this work exemplifies Stuart's mastery in the neoclassical portrait tradition, where he blended European influences with a distinctly American vitality. Painted just after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, it reflects the rising merchant class's self-assured identity in a young nation forging its cultural independence. Stuart, one of America's foremost port...
About the Artist
Gilbert Stuart
Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828) was born on December 3, 1755, in Saunderstown, Rhode Island. He received his first painting instruction from local portraitist Samuel King, then studied under Scottish artist Cosmo Alexander who brought him to Scotland in 1771. After Alexander died, Stuart returned to Newport before sailing to London in 1775, where he entered the studio of Benjamin West for approximately...