Portrait of a Gentleman
Medium
Watercolor on ivory
Dimensions
3 x 2 3/8 in. (7.6 x 6 cm)
Classification
Painting, miniature
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Moses Lazarus Collection, Gift of Josephine and Sarah Lazarus, in memory of their father, 1888-95
Accession Number
95.14.80
Tags
About this artwork
This exquisite miniature portrait exemplifies the refined art of early nineteenth-century American portrait painting on ivory. John Wesley Jarvis, an English-born artist who established himself in New York, captured an unknown gentleman with remarkable precision in this intimate work measuring just over three inches tall. Signed and dated 1809 at the lower right, the portrait demonstrates Jarvis's mastery of the watercolor-on-ivory technique that flourished during this period. The miniature form...
About the Artist
John Wesley Jarvis
American (born England), South Shields 1780–1840 New York