William Edward Dighton (1822–1853) in Middle Eastern Dress
ca. 1852–53
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
21 × 15 1/2 in. (53.3 × 39.4 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Kenneth Jay Lane, 2014
Accession Number
2014.435.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
This captivating portrait, *William Edward Dighton (1822–1853) in Middle Eastern Dress*, by British artist Frederick Goodall around1852–53, a young man in vibrant Orientalist attire. Goodall, an emerging talent in his early 30s and influenced by the Pre-Rapite circle's attention to detail, captures Dighton—likely a friend or patron—with a direct gaze and richly textured robes, evoking the allure of the "exotic" East so popular in Victorian Britain. The oil-on-canvas work, modestly sized at 21 × 15½ inches, exemplifies the intimate scale of portraiture that allowed for meticulous brushwork and ...