Portrait of a Gentleman

Cornelius Johnson, Portrait of a Gentleman, ca. 1635-1640, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mabel Johnson Langhorne, 1956.11.27
Cornelius Johnson, Portrait of a Gentleman, ca. 1635-1640, oil on canvas, sight 29 1⁄2 x 24 1⁄2 in. (74.9 x 62.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mabel Johnson Langhorne, 1956.11.27
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Artwork Details

Title
Portrait of a Gentleman
Artist
Date
ca. 1635-1640
Location
Dimensions
sight 29 1⁄2 x 24 1⁄2 in. (74.9 x 62.2 cm.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Mabel Johnson Langhorne
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — unidentified
  • Occupation — other — aristocrat
Object Number
1956.11.27
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1956.11.27

Artwork Description

When this portrait entered the Smithsonian it was thought to be a posthumous image of Henry, Prince of Wales, who died in 1612. Curators questioned this identification after comparing it to life portraits of the prince, whose features differ noticeably from those of this man. But the sitter’s long hair, lace collar, and elaborate sleeves mark him as a cavalier, a supporter of the king in the civil war that eventually drove Cornelius Johnson to Holland. When the portrait was painted, Johnson was still in England, where he held the distinction of “his Majesty’s servant in the quality of Picture drawer.” (Shaw, The Seventeenth-century Gaze, 1987) This painting came to the Smithsonian through Ralph Cross Johnson, who worked as an attorney in Maine and in Washington. Johnson built an impressive collection of European and American art, which he bequeathed to the National Collection.

Works by this artist (6 items)

View all artworks
Benjamin Trott, Portrait of a Gentleman with Initials J. B., ca. 1795, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1954.6.4
Portrait of a Gentleman with Initials J. B.
Artist
Dateca. 1795
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
Benjamin Trott, Anne Hume Shippen, ca. 1796, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Natalie Brooks Sears Shippen and William Brush Shippen, 1999.87.1
Anne Hume Shippen
Artist
Dateca. 1796
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
Benjamin Trott, David McClellan, ca. 1805, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1956.7.1
David McClellan
Artist
Dateca. 1805
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
Benjamin Trott, John Cleves Short, 19th century, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.48
John Cleves Short
Artist
Date19th century
watercolor on ivory
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Browse All Artworks
George Catlin, Portrait of a Gentleman, ca. 1830, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Bernard N. Burnstine, 1946.1.1
Portrait of a Gentleman
Artist
Dateca. 1830
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
Unidentified, Portrait of a Gentleman, ca. 1814-1824, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.20
Portrait of a Gentleman
Artist
Unidentified
Dateca. 1814-1824
watercolor on paper
Not on view
Washington Blanchard, William Parsons II, of Gloucester, Massachusetts, ca. 1840, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1957.11.3
William Parsons II, of Gloucester, Massachusetts
Artist
Dateca. 1840
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
Alfred T. Agate, Portrait of a Lady, ca. 1840, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1944.7.4
Portrait of a Lady
Artist
Dateca. 1840
watercolor on ivory
Not on view