This work replicates an unusual profile portrait of Thomas Jefferson that Gilbert Stuart painted in 1805, at the beginning of Jefferson’s second presidential term. The neoclassical composition “in the medallion form” was suggested by Jefferson, who later wrote that the original portrait (now owned by Harvard University) was “deemed the best which has been taken of me.” Jefferson’s relatives also admired the profile, and in 1836, ten years after Jefferson’s death, the painter Charles Bird King made this copy of the work for them.
Nacido en Shadwell, Virginia
Esta obra es una réplica de un inusual retrato en perfil de Thomas Jefferson pintado por Gilbert Stuart en 1805, a principios de su segundo término presidencial. La composición neoclásica “en forma de medallón” fue sugerida por Jefferson, quien más tarde escribió que el retrato original (ahora propiedad de la Universidad de Harvard) se “consideraba el mejor de mis retratos”. La familia del president también admiraba el perfil, y en 1836, diez años después de su muerte, el pintor Charles Bird King realizó esta copia de la obra para ellos.
Provenance
Nicholas Philip Trist [1800-1874] and his wife, Jefferson's granddaughter Virginia Jefferson Randolph Trist; by family descent to Gordon Trist Burke; his daughter Harriott Burke Killibrew; sold through (Kramer Gallery, Inc., St. Paul, Minn.) 1992 to NPG
Place
United States\District of Columbia\Washington
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition
America's Presidents (Reinstallation September 2017)
On View
NPG, South Gallery 240
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Object number
NPG.92.110
Type
Painting
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Medium
Oil on wood panel
Dimensions
Frame (Verified): 72.4 x 65.4 x 8.6cm (28 1/2 x 25 3/4 x 3 3/8")
