Artwork
Eleazer Tyng
Eleazer Tyng is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist John Singleton Copley. It dates from 1772 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The backdrop consists of a dark greenish wall and a red curtain, while the composition is dominated by a focused illumination on the sitter’s face and hands.
John Singleton Copley’s 1772 oil on canvas presents Eleazar Tyng, an elderly gentleman seated in a chair. He is attired in a brown coat trimmed with white cuffs and buttons, his hands resting on a cane, and a light‑colored wig crowns his head. The backdrop consists of a dark greenish wall and a red curtain, while the composition is dominated by a focused illumination on the sitter’s face and hands.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait records Eleazar Tyng, a prominent figure of his community, in a dignified pose that emphasizes his status and age. The restrained setting and the sitter’s calm demeanor suggest a contemplative character, while the cane and formal attire underscore his experience and social standing within the colonial milieu.
Technique & Style
Copley employs chiaroscuro, using a soft, directional light to isolate Tyng’s facial features and hands from the surrounding gloom. The contrast between the illuminated foreground and the deep shadows of the wall and curtain creates a three‑dimensional effect, enhancing the tactile quality of the fabrics and the texture of the cane.
History & Provenance
Executed in 1772, the work belongs to Copley’s mature period, when he was establishing his reputation among New England’s elite patrons. The painting has remained in private collections for much of its history, documented in early inventories of the Tyng family and later appearing in auction records before entering its current institutional setting.
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Artist & collection
Artist
John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an American-born British painter active in both the Thirteen Colonies and England.
