Portrait of a Gentleman
Medium
Watercolor on ivory
Dimensions
2 1/2 x 2 in. (6.4 x 5.2 cm)
Classification
Painting, miniature
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 2006
Accession Number
2006.235.93
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the intimate world of 19th-century portrait miniatures *Portrait of a Gentleman* by William Warner Jr., in 1836. This delicate watercolor on ivory, measuring just 2½ x 2 inches, exemplifies the miniaturist's art form popular among America's emerging middle and upper classes. Warner, a skilled Philadelphia-based artist, captured the gentleman's poised likeness with remarkable precision, rendering fine details like fabric textures and facial features on the smooth, luminous surface of ivory. Watercolor on ivory was the gold standard for miniatures during the Federal and antebellum per...