Portrait of Thomas Clay (1753 - 1793)
John Hesselius, American, 1728 - 1778
Geography:
Made in United States, North and Central America
Date:
1759Medium:
Oil on canvasDimensions:
28 x 23 inches (71.1 x 58.4 cm)Curatorial Department:
American Art
2009-16-9Credit Line:
Gift of the McNeil Americana Collection, 2009
Made in United States, North and Central America
Date:
1759Medium:
Oil on canvasDimensions:
28 x 23 inches (71.1 x 58.4 cm)Curatorial Department:
American Art
* Gallery 104, American Art, first floor (Sherrerd Gallery)
Accession Number:2009-16-9Credit Line:
Gift of the McNeil Americana Collection, 2009
Label:
John Hesselius was born in Philadelphia and received his artistic training from his father, Gustavus Hesselius, who emigrated from Sweden to the United States. Influenced by the work of American painter Robert Feke and London-trained portraitist John Wollaston, the younger Hesselius painted the elite of Philadelphia, Delaware, and Virginia before eventually settling in Maryland, where he briefly taught the then-fledgling artist Charles Willson Peale. This stylish portrait of Thomas Clay (1753–1793), shown with his bow and arrow, is an excellent example of the artist’s colorful, mature style.
John Hesselius was born in Philadelphia and received his artistic training from his father, Gustavus Hesselius, who emigrated from Sweden to the United States. Influenced by the work of American painter Robert Feke and London-trained portraitist John Wollaston, the younger Hesselius painted the elite of Philadelphia, Delaware, and Virginia before eventually settling in Maryland, where he briefly taught the then-fledgling artist Charles Willson Peale. This stylish portrait of Thomas Clay (1753–1793), shown with his bow and arrow, is an excellent example of the artist’s colorful, mature style.
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