Artwork
M.T. Webb
M.T. Webb is a watercolor painting. It dates from 1830 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. M.
About this work
This painting shows a man in a dark coat against a plain background. His face looks calm but tired. The work uses watercolor on ivory, a delicate mini-portrait style.
The ivory is tiny—just a few inches wide. That size makes the details pop. It was painted around 1830, when such miniatures were common for keepsakes.
The Met holds this piece in its collection.
Overview
M.T. Webb is a small watercolor portrait executed on a thin slice of ivory. The work measures only a few inches across and presents a solitary male figure in a dark coat, set against an unadorned background. The sitter’s expression is composed yet weary, characteristic of intimate miniature portraiture of the early nineteenth century.
Technique & Style
The artist employed watercolor pigments applied directly to the ivory substrate, a medium prized for its smooth, luminous surface. The miniature format demands fine brushwork, allowing subtle modeling of facial features and fabric textures within a confined space. The restrained palette and plain backdrop focus attention on the sitter’s visage.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait depicts an individual identified only by the initials M.T. Webb, suggesting a private commission rather than a public figure. The calm, slightly fatigued expression may reflect personal circumstances or the conventions of modest self‑presentation common in the period’s keepsake miniatures.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1830, the piece belongs to a period when ivory miniatures were popular as portable mementos. The work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued within the American Wing, indicating its attribution to an American artist or patron.
Context
Miniature portraits on ivory were a prevalent form of personal memorabilia in the early nineteenth century, often exchanged among family members or lovers. Their small scale made them suitable for inclusion in lockets, albums, or as discreet tokens of affection, aligning with the intimate nature of this work.
Artist & collection
