Artwork
Portrait of a Sri Lankan Tamil
Portrait of a Sri Lankan Tamil is an unspecified painting by the British Romanticist artist Samuel Daniell. It dates from 1806 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Samuel Daniell’s 1806 oil portrait presents a Sri Lankan Tamil man rendered in the refined manner of early‑19th‑century British portraiture. The figure occupies a modestly illuminated space, his gaze directed outward, offering a calm, dignified presence. The work now belongs to the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is a dark‑skinned male with tightly curled hair, dressed in a pink turban whose tail falls over his left shoulder and a loosely draped white robe with sleeves rolled to the elbows. His neutral expression and straightforward pose suggest a straightforward representation rather than an allegorical or narrative scene, emphasizing individual identity within a colonial context.
Technique & Style
Daniell employs chiaroscuro to model the figure, using subtle gradations of light and shadow that give the face and torso a three‑dimensional quality. The background is rendered in a pale tone, allowing the darker shading around the subject to focus attention on his features. The brushwork is smooth and controlled, reflecting the portrait conventions of British Romanticism.
History & Provenance
Created during Daniell’s period of activity in Ceylon, the painting reflects his broader interest in documenting the peoples and landscapes of British colonial territories. After its completion, the work entered private collections before being acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s holdings of early colonial portraiture.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Samuel Daniell (1775 – 16 December 1811) was a British painter of natural history and other scenes in Africa and Ceylon. He first went to the Cape Colony in 1799.
