John Trumbull (1756–1843) Artist: Robert Ball Hughes (American, 1804–1868)

1834–after 1840

American Paintings and Sculpture

Not on view

The British-born Robert Ball Hughes arrived in New York in 1829 with strong credentials and technical proficiency. Among those he impressed was John Trumbull, president of the American Academy, who made Hughes the equivalent of an artist-in-residence there. This bust of Trumbull is arguably Hughes’s finest sculpture. The dramatic portrait reflects the sitter’s forceful and rigid personality, representing Trumbull less as an artist than as an American colonel and patriot, with his badge of the Order of the Cincinnati visible.

Medium

Marble

Dimensions

24 × 20 1/4 × 9 1/4 in. (61 × 51.4 × 23.5 cm)

Credit Line

University Purchase

Accession Number

1851.2

Geography

Made in New York, United States

Culture

American

Period

19th century

Classification

Sculpture

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Bibliography
  • Susan B. Matheson, Art for Yale: A History of the Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2001), 25, fig. 22
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States
Additional information

Object/Work type

busts (sculpture), human figures (visual works), portraits

Subject

artists officers (military officers)

Technical metadata and APIs

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