Dr. Alexander Gray (Scottish, 1751–1807) Artist: Walter Robertson (American, born Ireland, ca. 1750–1802)

ca. 1797

American Paintings and Sculpture

Not on view

The story behind this miniature reveals the fluidity with which the British-American style of miniature painting traveled, along with culture and commerce, at the turn of the century. Irish miniaturist Walter Robertson forged a friendship with the famous American easel painter Gilbert Stuart in London and came with him to New York in 1793. Robertson moved to Philadelphia, the nation’s capital, and established a practice serving the political and mercantile elite. He translated Stuart’s feathery brushwork into watercolor on ivory. His miniatures grew in assurance by the time he left the United States in 1796. Made shortly after his arrival in India, this portrait exemplifies the height of his achievement. Robertson’s Scottish sitter, Dr. Alexander Gray, spent some twenty years in Bengal as a surgeon for the East India Company. He amassed a fortune, much of which he bequeathed to a hospital for the poor in his hometown of Elgin. This portrait, set in a locket with a loop of hair adorning the decorative reverse, may have been a love token for the much younger woman Gray married—and soon divorced—or for his sister, his only remaining family back home.

Medium

Watercolor on ivory

Dimensions

2 13/16 × 2 5/16 in. (7.1 × 5.9 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Davida Tenenbaum Deutsch and Alvin Deutsch, LL.B. 1958, in honor of Kathleen Luhrs

Accession Number

2006.225.15

Geography
Culture
Period

18th century

Classification
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.

Provenance

Provenance

Edward Grosvenor Paine; sold to Davida Tenenbaum Deustch and Alvin Deutsch
Bibliography
  • "Acquisitions, July 1, 2006–June 30, 2007," Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin (2007): 191, ill.
Object copyright
Additional information

Object/Work type

lockets, miniatures (paintings), portraits

Subject

fashion men

Technical metadata and APIs

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