Mr. Motte
c. 1760
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 76.2 x 63.5 cm (30 x 25 in.) framed: 93.4 x 80.7 x 7 cm (36 3/4 x 31 3/4 x 2 3/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Accession Number
1947.17.12
Art Historical Context
**Mr. Motte** is a striking oil-on-canvas portrait by Jeremiah Theus, painted around 1760. Theus, a Swiss-born who settled in Charleston, South Carolina in the 1730s, became one colonial America's leading portraitists, capturing the likenesses of the Southern elite. This half-length painting, measuring 30 x 25 inches, exemplifies the era's tradition of formal portraiture, where oil on canvas allowed for luminous skin tones, intricate fabric textures, and subtle depth through glazing techniques—hallmarks of English-influenced Rococo style adapted to the New World. Created during the vibrant pr...