Portrait of a Man
The picture came to the Museum as a portrait by John Smibert (1688–1751) of Oxenbridge Thacher Sr. (1681–1772), a Boston merchant who served as a selectman and representative to the General Court. Neither the identification of the subject nor the attribution can be accepted. The picture can be traced to a dealer known to have marketed English paintings as American colonial portraits with added inscriptions and signatures. The provenance given for the work when it was offered for sale by this dealer in 1930 cannot be verified and is the same as a provenance given by the same dealer for other works which have been widely questioned. This picture appears to be an English picture from the circle of Sir Godfrey Kneller painted in the 1720s.
Artwork Details
- Title: Portrait of a Man
- Former Attribution: Formerly attributed to John Smibert (American, Edinburgh, Scotland 1688–1751 Boston, Massachusetts)
- Artist: School of Sir Godfrey Kneller (German, Lübeck 1646–1723 London)
- Date: ca. 1720–30
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 49 3/4 x 39 3/4 in. (125.2 x 99.8 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of The Chester Dale Collection, 1954
- Object Number: 54.196.1
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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John Smibert (American, Edinburgh, Scotland 1688–1751 Boston, Massachusetts)
1730
John Smibert (American, Edinburgh, Scotland 1688–1751 Boston, Massachusetts)
1734
John Smibert (American, Edinburgh, Scotland 1688–1751 Boston, Massachusetts)
1729
John Smibert (American, Edinburgh, Scotland 1688–1751 Boston, Massachusetts)
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