4x5 transparency scanned on Hasselblad Flextight X1 by Ed Pollard-2010.

Miles Sherbrook

Artist John Singleton Copley (American, 1738 - 1815)

Date1771

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions49 1/2 x 39 in. (125.7 x 99.1 cm)
Overall, Frame: 56 x 46 in. (142.2 x 116.8 cm)

ClassificationsAmerican art

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., in memory of his grandparents Anna-Maria Breymann and Henry Chrysler

Object number80.219

Terms

Man
Interior
Letter
Brown
Dark Brown
Flesh
New York

Collections

American Art before 1945

On View

On view

DescriptionAn oil on canvas portrait of Miles Sherbrook, a merchant who sympathized with the British side during the American War of Independence. He is shown in the Chrysler painting seated and holding a letter; portrayed without a wig and dressed simply, Sherbrook appears unpretentious and forthright. Sherbrook sits in a New York rococo side chair and works at a covered card table.

Label TextJohn Singleton Copley American, 1738–1815 Miles Sherbrook, 1771 Oil on canvas No great American art museum collection would be complete without a key work by the renowned early Boston portraitist, John Singleton Copley. Walter Chrysler acquired Miles Sherbrook in 1979 and gave it to the Museum in honor of his grandparents. Here, Copley painted merchant Miles Sherbrook with a letter and quill in hand, attributes of a diligent and earnest man of commerce. By presenting the wealthy New Yorker without a wig and by including the scars on his cheeks, this intimate portrait communicates the sitter’s character and values rather than his social status. Both Sherbrook and Copley feared the financial consequences of the American Revolution. While the businessman lost his fortune during the war, America’s leading portrait painter relocated to London, ensuring a steady supply of patrons. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., in memory of his grandparents Anna-Maria Breymann and Henry Chrysler 80.219