Lansdowne portrait
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| The Lansdowne Portrait |
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| Gilbert Stuart , 1796 |
| Oil on canvas |
| 247.7 x 158.8 cm |
| National Portrait Gallery (Washington) |
The Lansdowne Portrait (also Germanized Lansdowne Portrait ) is a painting depicting George Washington , the first President of the United States of America . It was commissioned in April 1796 by Senator William Bingham , one of the richest men in the United States, and his wife Anne.
The painter Gilbert Stuart , who painted other pictures of Washington and various other revolutionaries, completed the painting in the fall of 1796. It shows Washington at the age of 64 rejecting a third term as President of the United States of America . Upon completion, the painting was given as a token of appreciation to William Petty , 2nd Earl of Shelburne and 1st Marquess of Lansdowne. Petty had an English parliamentarians the independence of the 13 American colonies supported.
Today the picture hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC , part of the Smithsonian Institute , with copies in the House of Representatives and in the Capitol's Rayburn Room . In terms of cultural significance, the painting is sometimes compared to the Declaration of Independence and the Liberty Bell .
analysis
The painting is rich in symbols , both American and the ancient Roman Republic . Washington is shown standing in a black velvet suit, hand outstretched in the speaker's gesture - awe-inspiring and strict, but open and approachable. In the background you can see two pairs of Ionic columns, draped with purple fabric and golden borders.
His suit is kept very simple, the sword at his side is not a battle sword, but a ceremonial one, which should express a democratic self-image. In the sky, the storm clouds on the left are displaced by the rainbow on the right; a symbol of the peace of the new United States which, after the Peace of Paris in 1783, superseded the War of Independence . The medallion on the armchair already shows the traditional red-white-blue of the new republic.
The table base is designed as fasces , the ancient Roman symbol of power. Be on the table two books: Federalist ( Federalist ), probably a reference to the Federalist Papers and the Journal of Congress , the records of the activities of the United States Congress . Under the table are five other volumes, recognizable by titles: General Orders , American Revolution, and Constitutional Bylaws - symbolizing Washington's leadership of the Continental Army and presidency of the Philadelphia Convention . The paper and pen on the table represent the power of the law. The silver inkwell bears the coat of arms of Washington, the pen rests on silver dogs, symbols of loyalty.
Washington's tight expression is due to its famous false teeth. Stuart wrote:
"When I painted him [Washington], he had just had a set of false teeth inserted, which accounts for the constrained expression so noticeable about the mouth and lower part of the face ... Houdon's Bust does not suffer from this defect."
"When I painted it [Washington], it had just had a denture adjusted, which explains the pinched expression that is noticeable around the mouth and the lower half of the face ... Houdon's bust does not suffer from this flaw."
Web links
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- ↑ www.npg.si.edu ( Memento of the original from October 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. National Portrait Gallery: "Lansdowne Portrait". Accessed November 19, 2012.
