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Accession #	41.878
Artist	John Mason Furness
Title	John Vinall
Date	ca. 1792
Medium	Oil on canvas
Dimensions	49 5/16 x 39 7/16 in. (125.2 x 100.2 cm) frame: 55 1/4 x 45 1/4 x 2 3/4 in. (140.3 x 114.9 x 7 cm)
Signed	Signed lower left: "J. M. Furness. pinx--"
Credit Line	Dick S. Ramsay Fund
Location	Visible Storage: Case 24, Screen K (Paintings)

Curatorial Remarks:

A somewhat mysterious figure whose artistic reputation rests on this single impressive work, John Mason Furness began his artistic career during the 1780s as an engraver in Boston. By 1785, he took up residence, presumably as a painter, in the studio formerly occupied by the famous John Smibert. In light of his substantial skills as a draftsman and engraver, Furness was particularly well suited to paint the respected Boston schoolmaster and cartographer John Vinall (1736 1823). In this striking, crisply drawn, and informal yet imposing portrait, Vinall is shown seated beside a table, on which are displayed his case of drafting implements, a compass, and an unfinished map.