Sir William Pepperrell
Medium
Mezzotint
Dimensions
image: 11 3/16 x 9 3/4 in. (28.4 x 24.8 cm) plate (trimmed at top): 13 13/16 x 9 7/8 in. (35.1 x 25.1 cm) sheet: 13 15/16 x 10 1/16 in. (35.4 x 25.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Charles Allen Munn, 1924
Accession Number
24.90.15
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking mezzotint portrait, *Sir William Pepperrell*, captures the dignified likeness of Sir William Pepperrell, st Baronet, a colonial American figure. Created in 1747 by English engraver Peter Pelham likely after a painting by the influential portraitist John Smibert, with possible involvement from J. Buck, it exemplifies early printmaking in the American colonies. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Drawings and Prints department (bequest of Charles Allen Munn,1924), the work measures about 11 x 9 inches and showcases the rich, velvety tones characteristic of mezzotint—a techniqu...