George Taylor II
Rembrandt Peale
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
This likeness of George Taylor II, a descendant of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, shows influences from both France and the United States. Rembrandt Peale admired the refined portrait style of such Neoclassical French painters as Baron Gérard. The subtle transitions in color and tone in Taylor’s head and hands reflect the impact of Gérard’s fine modeling and distinctive palette.
The composition and details of this work suggest the American colonial and Federal portraits among which Peale had been raised. The setting—an open-air, stone alcove with a landscape scene—may well have been fictionalized, since similar views appeared with some regularity in American portraits of the colonial period.
The composition and details of this work suggest the American colonial and Federal portraits among which Peale had been raised. The setting—an open-air, stone alcove with a landscape scene—may well have been fictionalized, since similar views appeared with some regularity in American portraits of the colonial period.
Caption
Rembrandt Peale (American, 1778–1860). George Taylor II, 1811. Oil on canvas, 57 5/16 × 35 7/8 in. (145.5 × 91.2 cm) frame: 65 1/4 × 44 1/4 × 2 3/4 in. (165.7 × 112.4 × 7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Estate of Eliza Herriman Griffith, 12.85. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
George Taylor II
Date
1811
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
57 5/16 × 35 7/8 in. (145.5 × 91.2 cm) frame: 65 1/4 × 44 1/4 × 2 3/4 in. (165.7 × 112.4 × 7 cm)
Signatures
Unsigned
Credit Line
Gift of the Estate of Eliza Herriman Griffith
Accession Number
12.85
Frequent Art Questions
Who is this boy?
This painting is the work of Rembrandt Peale, and it's most likely a portrait of George Taylor II, whose family had made their fortune in iron works.Peale was influenced by French portraiture and shows the young boy in an elegant and highly idealized manner. I love the gentle detailing of the boy's face. Do you see the two books on the table? Any idea what those might mean about the young boy?I can't make out the titles, but I suppose it indicates education and literacy?Yep! The books are an allusion to how educated this lucky young man is.
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