Artist : Ralph Earl
Painting : Colonel William Floyd
Painting : Colonel William Floyd
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Elijah Boardman Portrait - ralph earl
Ralph Earl (American, 1751–1801)
Elijah Boardman, 1789
Oil on canvas; 83 x 51 in. (210.8 x 129.5 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Susan W. Tyler, 1979 (1979.395)Elijah Boardman, 1789
Oil on canvas; 83 x 51 in. (210.8 x 129.5 cm)
Ralph Earl (American 1751-1801) portrayed the richly dressed dry-goods merchant Elijah Boardman (1760–1823) in his store in New Milford, Connecticut.
His right hand rests on a counting desk protected by green cloth secured with brass nails.
The books on the shelves include the three-volume set of Dr. John Moore's Travels, two volumes of Shakespeare's plays, John Milton's Paradise Lost, a volume of Samuel Johnson's dictionary, and the London Magazine for 1786.
Through the open paneled door to the right, bolts of plain and patterned textiles, including one with a prominently displayed British tax stamp, invite inspection
and tell the viewer how Boardman earned a living, just as the books in his desk and the letter in his hand speak of his learning and cultivation.
Don't you think he's hot?
Such a handsome 18th century gentleman!
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