Profile Bust of James Sullivan
1800–1809
Medium
Wax, glass, wood
Dimensions
10 3/4 x 9 5/8 in. (27.3 x 24.4 cm)
Classification
Miniature
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Glenn Tilley Morse Collection, Bequest of Glenn Tilley Morse, 1950
Accession Number
50.187.66
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum Art, the *Profile Bust of James Sullivan (1800–1809) by John Christian Rauschner offers a glimpse into early 19th-century portraiture. This intimate work, measuring 10 3/4 x 9 5/8 inches, depicts the sitter in classical profile against a dark background, rendered in delicate wax, protected by glass, and housed in a wooden frame. Rauschner, skilled modeler active in the United States, specialized in such relief portraits, blending European techniques with American tastes during the Federal period. Wax as a medium was prized for its lifelike quali...