James Cuthbert (?)
c. 1765
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 75.3 x 62.3 cm (29 5/8 x 24 1/2 in.) framed: 87.3 x 74.6 x 3.8 cm (34 3/8 x 29 3/8 x 1 1/2 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch
Accession Number
1965.15.6
Art Historical Context
This elegant portrait, tentatively identified as *James Cuthbert* and painted around 1765 by Jeremiah Theus, the refined poise of colonial America's elite. Theus, a Swiss-born artist who settled in Charleston, South Carolina, in the 1730s, became one the preeminent portraitists of the British colonies. His works, like this oil on canvas measuring 75.3 x 62.3 cm, often featured prosperous merchants, planters, and officials, reflecting their social status through poised poses and luxurious attire. In the mid-18th century, such portraits served as symbols of wealth and identity amid growing colo...