The Disobedient Prophet
Benjamin West
1793
Medium
pen and black ink with wash heightened with blue and cream oil paint over chalk
Dimensions
overall: 30.2 x 49.8 cm (11 7/8 x 19 5/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Julius S. Held Collection, Avalon Fund
Accession Number
1984.3.74
About the Artist
Benjamin West · 1738–1820
Benjamin West, born on October 10, 1738, in Springfield, Pennsylvania, emerged as one of the most influential painters of his era despite being entirely self-taught. Growing up in a Quaker family in colonial America, West displayed prodigious talent from childhood, creating portraits and religious scenes with materials gifted by local patrons. By his late teens, he had garnered enough support to t...