Artwork
Ebenezer Storer II
Ebenezer Storer II is a pastel drawing by the Romanticist artist John Singleton Copley. It dates from 1767 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1767, this portrait by John Singleton Copley presents a seated gentleman rendered in pastel on paper that has been affixed to canvas. The work belongs to the artist’s early period, when he was already a sought‑after portraitist among New England’s colonial gentry.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is shown seated in a chair, attired in the formal dress of the mid‑18th century. Copley’s meticulous rendering of the clothing, hair and accessories conveys the social standing and refined taste of the colonial elite, reflecting the portrait’s function as a marker of status.
Technique & Style
Copley employed pastel—a medium noted for its softness and immediacy—applied to paper and then mounted on canvas for support. The delicate handling required careful layering to avoid smudging, resulting in a finely detailed surface that captures textures of fabric and hair with notable precision.
History & Provenance
The portrait was produced during Copley’s Boston years, prior to his relocation to London in 1774. It remained within American collections, eventually entering the American Wing, where it continues to illustrate the artist’s formative output before his European career.
Context
At the time of its creation, New England’s mercantile class increasingly commissioned portraits to assert their cultural refinement. Copley’s reputation as the pre‑eminent colonial portraitist made him the natural choice for such commissions, positioning this work within a broader trend of self‑representation among the colonial aristocracy.
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.
