Giuseppe Ceracchi

John Trumbull

ca. 1792 · Oil on wood · The American Wing

After returning to the United States from London in 1789, Trumbull spent five years traveling up and down the Eastern Seaboard taking “heads” from life, mainly of statesmen and military officers. These exquisite works, which were preparatory to history paintings, stand out for their sensitive characterization and coloristic brilliance. The brushwork is fluid, with impastos and transparent glazes that produce contrasting textures. Trumbull’s portrait of the Italian sculptor Giuseppe Ceracchi (1751–1801) was probably painted in Philadelphia in 1792. The ambitious Neoclassical sculptor had come to the United States to raise funds for a proposed monument to American liberty.

Artist

John Trumbull

Date

ca. 1792

Medium

Oil on wood

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Morris K. Jesup Fund, 1936