Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755–1828). George Washington, 1796. Oil on canvas, 96 1/4 x 60 1/4 in. (244.5 x 153 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund and Museum Purchase Fund, 45.179 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 45.179_PS11.jpg)
Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755–1828). George Washington, 1796. Oil on canvas, 96 1/4 x 60 1/4 in. (244.5 x 153 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund and Museum Purchase Fund, 45.179 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 45.179.jpg)
George Washington
Gilbert Stuart
American Art
Over the course of his career, Gilbert Stuart painted approximately a hundred portraits of George Washington, including four versions (three of which are original replicas) now known as the “Lansdowne” portrait (named after the painting’s first owner). Although the grandiose scale and setting are typical of eighteenth-century European aristocratic portraiture, other allegorical elements allude to the formation of the young republic. Representing Washington in civilian clothing and with his arm outstretched in an oratorical pose, Stuart also included details such as the Great Seal of the United States; a sword and books, such as Constitution and Laws of the United States, that are symbolic of the first president’s military and political accomplishments; as well as a rainbow that refers to the era of peace following the Revolutionary War.
This portrait was owned by the New York merchant William Kerin Constable, who, like Washington, benefited from the institution of slavery while also expressing abolitionist sentiments. Once on view in the family home in nearby Brooklyn Heights, the portrait passed down through Constable’s descendants before it came into the Brooklyn Museum’s collection in 1945.
This portrait was owned by the New York merchant William Kerin Constable, who, like Washington, benefited from the institution of slavery while also expressing abolitionist sentiments. Once on view in the family home in nearby Brooklyn Heights, the portrait passed down through Constable’s descendants before it came into the Brooklyn Museum’s collection in 1945.
MEDIUM
Oil on canvas
DATES
1796
DIMENSIONS
96 1/4 x 60 1/4 in. (244.5 x 153 cm)
frame: 114 1/4 x 78 1/4 x 6 in. (290.2 x 198.8 x 15.2 cm) (show scale)
SIGNATURE
Unsigned
COLLECTIONS
American Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
45.179
CREDIT LINE
Dick S. Ramsay Fund and Museum Purchase Fund
PROVENANCE
1797, purchased from the artist by William Kerin Constable of New York, NY; 1803, inherited from William Kerin Constable by William Constable of New York; 1812, purchased from William Constable by Hezekiah Beers Pierrepont of Brooklyn, NY; 1848, inherited from Hezekiah Beers Pierrepont by Anna Maria Pierrepont of Brooklyn; 1902, inherited from Anna Maria Pierrepont by Henry Evelyn Pierrepont of Brooklyn; 1911, inherited from Henry Evelyn Pierrepont by Robert Low Pierrepoint of New York; 1945, inherited from Robert Low Pierrepont by Kathryn Reed Pierrepont (Mrs. Robert Low Pierrepont) and John Jay Pierrepont of New York; December 31, 1945, purchased from Kathryn Reed Pierrepont and John Jay Pierrepont by the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755–1828). George Washington, 1796. Oil on canvas, 96 1/4 x 60 1/4 in. (244.5 x 153 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund and Museum Purchase Fund, 45.179 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 45.179_PS11.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 45.179_PS11.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2019
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