International studio . e picture wasnow sent to aframemaker to 1)Cmore handsomelydressed and treatedto a shadow boxa n d glass, a n dw h e n the panelwas removed fromthe frame, the let-ters J. T. wereplainly discernibleunder the varnishin the lower righthand corner, very-small and singu-larly like the old-fashioned script onthe visiting card,and making it evi-dent that both in-scriptions were bythe same hand, andthat the hand ofColonel JohnTrumbull. The portrait had been passed over by ex-perts as a copy, but as curator of the mu-seum I have always felt that if not painted byJohn Trumbull hims
International studio . e picture wasnow sent to aframemaker to 1)Cmore handsomelydressed and treatedto a shadow boxa n d glass, a n dw h e n the panelwas removed fromthe frame, the let-ters J. T. wereplainly discernibleunder the varnishin the lower righthand corner, very-small and singu-larly like the old-fashioned script onthe visiting card,and making it evi-dent that both in-scriptions were bythe same hand, andthat the hand ofColonel JohnTrumbull. The portrait had been passed over by ex-perts as a copy, but as curator of the mu-seum I have always felt that if not painted byJohn Trumbull himself, it was painted by anequally clever hand, after the head in Trum-bulls life-size portrait of Washington at Tren-ton now in the Trumbull gallery at Yale Uni-versity. This portrait was painted at Phila-delphia in 1792, four years before Washing-ton died. Trumbull had accepted a commis-sion to paint a jjortrait of Washington forCharleston, South Carolina, aiid this picturewas intended to fill that order, but a picture. BY TOHN A New Portrait of Washington at Forty-Four of the General in ci\il lite was required, andthe Washingtonat Trenton remained in theartists possession. The canvas is familiar to the public in itsengraved forms showing Washington stand-ing with bared head, while his horse. aUostanding on two legs, is held by an orderly ina helmet, on lower ground at the rear. The battle of Trenton took place in Decem-ber, 1776, when (ieneral Washington wasforty-four years old. While this head is e\i-dcntly painted from the bare head in the fa-mous Trenton canvas, in which the naturalhair is wind-blown, the artist has not hesi-tated to paint the cocked hat set; upon a pow-dered wig, a liberty that a mere copyist wouldhardly have taken. Notwithstanding thisalteration the resemblance to the original por-trait, in the features, in the angle of the headand in the identical arrangement of the shirtrufHe and the coat lapels, make it certain thatthe small picture was pai
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Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury180, booksubjectart, booksubjectdecorationandornament
