Description:
Artemas Ward (November 26, 1727 – October 28, 1800) was an American major general in the American Revolutionary War and a Congressman from Massachusetts. He was considered an effective political leader, President John Adams describing him as "...universally esteemed, beloved and confided in by his army and his country." Existing images of Artemus Ward (including one by Charles Wilson Peale) show him with a prominent yet straight nose. This portrait shows a man with a large curved nose. He also does not resemble the Peale portrait or any other known images of Artemus Ward. Half-length portrait of a man said to be Artemus Ward, the man has white thinning hair, a prominent nose and a double chin, he has a white cravat and white waistcoat, he also wears a brown coat with buttons, framed in a gilt wooden molded frame, on the reverse on the stretchers are two old paper labels (the surface may be diliberately smudged with red paint to look older), one written in ink says, "Artemus Ward/1765-1800" and the other reads " Pine shopping box from/ Gilbert Stuart in last/ storage room." Also in white paint is the number "#205" and in pencil, "390.59" Condition: the painting is very grimmy and dirty on the surface, it has been repaired, there is an older fabric patch on the reverse as well as a later tape repair, there is also a large area of blue glue or colored putty that has adhered to the back.
Tags:
portraits Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2014.19.68 |
