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Portrait of a Gentleman

Date
c.1810
Material
Oil on canvas
Classification
Paintings
Collection
American Art
Current Location
Not on view
Dimensions
14 1/2 × 14 1/2 in. (36.8 × 36.8 cm)
framed: 20 1/8 × 20 1/8 × 2 1/2 in. (51.1 × 51.1 × 6.4 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Purchase
Rights
Public Domain
Object Number
128:1915
NOTES
Lively strokes of paint define the face and direct gaze of this unknown gentleman. His head is completely finished although the collar and shoulder of the coat are only sketched in. At the time Gilbert Stuart painted this portrait, he was the preeminent artist in the United States. His services were highly sought after, and he felt comfortable enough in his position that he regularly left accepted commissions incomplete. He was able to command prices of $120 to $150 for bust-length portraits like this one.
- 1915
Frank Dyer Purdy (1873-1938), St. Louis, MO

1915 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from F.D. Purdy [1]


Notes:
[1] Receipt dated May 10, 1915 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, May 7, 1915.

We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.

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