Arthur St. Clair

A bust-length oval portrait of a man with powdered hair, a dark coat with a turned-up collar, and a white cravat. He looks toward the viewer with a slight, reserved expression against a dark background. Fine brushwork models the face and linen.

Look closer: A small chip is visible in the rim of the oval at the upper left.

Artist

Charles Willson Peale

Date

1780

Medium

Watercolor on ivory

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

1407 × 1725 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Morris K. Jesup Fund, 1932