Portrait of a Boy

Unidentified (Italian), Portrait of a Boy, ca. 1800, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mabel Johnson Langhorne, 1956.11.41
Copied Unidentified (Italian), Portrait of a Boy, ca. 1800, oil on canvas, 27 x 25 in. (68.6 x 63.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mabel Johnson Langhorne, 1956.11.41
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Artwork Details

Title
Portrait of a Boy
Artist
Unidentified (Italian)
Date
ca. 1800
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
27 x 25 in. (68.6 x 63.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Mabel Johnson Langhorne
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure male — child — bust
  • Portrait male — unidentified — child
Object Number
1956.11.41

Artwork Description

In this portrait the artist captured the forceful and confident personality of a boy. The youth wears a jacket, red vest, and a stylish white cravat with an upturned collar, suggesting his future role in society as an upper-class gentleman. The sitter was probably eleven or twelve years old when his portrait was made, but his identity, as well as the artist’s, is unknown.