Portrait of a Gentleman
ca. 1810
Medium
Watercolor on ivory
Dimensions
3 x 2 3/8 in. (7.6 x 6 cm)
Classification
Painting, miniature
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1938
Accession Number
38.146.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created around 1810, Joseph Wood’s *Portrait of a Gentleman* exemplifies the refined art of American miniature painting during the early republic. Wood, active in New York and Philadelphia, specialized in these intimate likenesses that captured sitters with remarkable precision despite their small scale. Painted in watercolor on ivory, the work measures just three by two and three-eighths inches, a format designed to be held in the hand, worn in a locket, or displayed on a tabletop. The choice of ivory as a support was especially prized in this period. Its smooth, luminous surface allowed wat...
About the Artist
Joseph Wood · 1778–1830
1778–1830