Object Details
- Attributed to
- Ralph Earl, born Worcester County, MA 1751-died Bolton, CT 1801
- Sitter
- unidentified
- Luce Center Label
- Ralph Earl was born into a prominent family of craftsmen, and his portraits are painted with sharp attention to detail. In this painting the subject sits in a Sheraton “fancy” armchair, a type that was especially popular in the Connecticut Valley, where Earl worked. The wooden clock on the tea table might be a kind of clock that was developed in that region for mass production. The clock and books are emblems of the subject’s skill and education, which have earned him a respectable and influential position in society. Earl also portrayed the clockmaker’s wife, and the two portraits were meant to be shown together as pendants.
- Credit Line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orrin Wickersham June
- ca. 1800
- Object number
- 1967.136.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 10 1/4 x 7 7/8 in. (26.1 x 20.1 cm) oval
- See more items in
- Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture
- On View
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 1B
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Topic
- Portrait male
- Cityscape\Connecticut
- Occupation\craft\clockmaker
- Record ID
- saam_1967.136.2
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk7a82f8d07-e28d-4c9c-8e6c-bc90122df26d
