John Beale Bordley

Joseph Robinson, John Beale Bordley, 1821, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.42
Copied Joseph Robinson, John Beale Bordley, 1821, watercolor on ivory, image (oval): 2 782 14 in. (7.35.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.42
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Artwork Details

Title
John Beale Bordley
Date
1821
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image (oval): 2 782 14 in. (7.35.9 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Keywords
  • Portrait male — Bordley, John Beale — bust
  • Portrait male — Bordley, John Beale — profile
Object Number
1999.27.42

Artwork Description

This is thought to be a miniature of one of Charles Willson Peale’s earliest and most loyal patrons, the Maryland agriculturist John Beale Bordley (1727-1804). The date of the miniature, however, seventeen years after Bordley’s death, makes the identification unlikely. Although the man’s features bear a passing resemblance to Bordley, further research needs to be done.