Rembrandt Peale (American, 1778-1860). <em>George Taylor II</em>, 1811. Oil on canvas, 57 5/16 x 35 7/8 in. (145.5 x 91.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Estate of Eliza Herriman Griffith, 12.85 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 12.85_SL1.jpg)

Rembrandt Peale (American, 1778-1860). George Taylor II, 1811. Oil on canvas, 57 5/16 x 35 7/8 in. (145.5 x 91.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Estate of Eliza Herriman Griffith, 12.85 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 12.85_SL1.jpg)

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

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.

George Taylor II

Rembrandt Peale

American Art

On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, From Colonies to States, 1660–1830

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.

ARTIST Rembrandt Peale, American, 1778-1860

MEDIUM Oil on canvas

DATES 1811

DIMENSIONS 57 5/16 x 35 7/8 in. (145.5 x 91.2 cm) frame: 65 1/4 × 44 1/4 in. (165.7 × 112.4 cm) (show scale)

SIGNATURE Unsigned

COLLECTIONS American Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 12.85

CREDIT LINE Gift of the Estate of Eliza Herriman Griffith

EXHIBITIONS

American Art

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, From Colonies to States, 1660–1830

CAPTION Rembrandt Peale (American, 1778-1860). George Taylor II, 1811. Oil on canvas, 57 5/16 x 35 7/8 in. (145.5 x 91.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Estate of Eliza Herriman Griffith, 12.85 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 12.85_SL1.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 12.85_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT No known copyright restrictions

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

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.

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.