Artwork
A Young Boy (one of pair of portraits)
A Young Boy (one of pair of portraits) is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist Ethan Allen Greenwood. It dates from 1814 and is held in the collection of the Clark Art Institute.
About this work
Overview
Ethan Allen Greenwood, a Boston‑based lawyer‑artist, completed the oil portrait A Young Boy in 1814. It forms one half of a paired set of likenesses and is presently held by the Clark Art Institute.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is a child with short, curly brown hair, dressed in a green jacket trimmed with gold buttons and a white ruffled collar, holding an apple in his right hand. The formal attire and the fruit may allude to a special occasion and traditional symbols of innocence.
Technique & Style
Rendered in oil on canvas, the work exhibits the plain, direct qualities typical of early American folk portraiture. Greenwood’s handling creates a modestly textured surface that gives the figure a sense of volume without elaborate ornamentation.
History & Provenance
After its creation, the portrait entered the collection of the Clark Art Institute, where it remains on view. Greenwood later managed the New England Museum in Boston from 1818, integrating his artistic output with museum entrepreneurship.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Ethan Allen Greenwood (May 27, 1779 – May 3, 1856) was an American lawyer, portrait painter, and entrepreneurial museum proprietor in Boston, Massachusetts, in the early 19th century. He established the New England Museum in 1818.
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