Portrait of a Gentleman
Medium
Watercolor on ivory
Dimensions
H. 2 5/16 in. x 1 7/8 in. (5.9 cm x 4.8 cm)
Classification
Painting, miniature
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Dale T. Johnson Fund, 2004
Accession Number
2004.567
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the early 19th century, portraits like James Reid Lambdin's * of a Gentleman* (1) served as cherished personal keepsakes, often worn as jewelry or carried close to the heart. This exquisite watercolor on ivory, measuring just 2 5/16 x 1 7/8 inches, captures the refined features of an unidentified sitter, rendered with Lambdin's signature precision. A prominent Philadelphia miniaturist active in the 1820s and 1830s, Lambdin in these tiny, luminous works, blending the traditions of European portraiture with emerging American sensibilities during the nation's young republic era. The medium of...