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The Marquis de Lafayette

1825
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834), is most vividly remembered for the role he played in the American Revolution. For his service, he was awarded membership in the Society of the Cincinnati. He returned to the United States in 1784, when he was honored by his former war associates and was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by Harvard University. An invitation from Congress and President James Monroe brought him to the United States again in 1824, and for more than a year his triumphal tour provoked public demonstrations such as no American hero had ever experienced. Peale's portrait was apparently painted from life in 1825 at the height of Lafayette's fame. The porthole format and piercing heroic gaze are hallmarks of Peale's style and appear as well in his many depictions of George Washington.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Marquis de Lafayette
  • Artist: Rembrandt Peale (American, Bucks County, Pennsylvania 1778–1860 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  • Date: 1825
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 34 1/2 x 27 3/8 in. (87.6 x 69.5 cm)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1921
  • Object Number: 21.19
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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Rembrandt Peale
J. P. Peaslee
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Rembrandt Peale
E. C. & J. Biddle
1853
Washington
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1876

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