Collections record Beta

Oil Painting - Judson Canfield (1759-1840)

1917-04-3

Oil on canvas portrait of Judge Judson Canfield, 1/2 length portrait of an older man seated with legs crossed. He has blue eyes, white powdered wig, and wears a black coat with large brass buttons, white satin waistcoat, white ruffled shirt, knee britches with oval buckles and blue/gray stockings. Seated in red upholstered side chair, holds paper in right hand, left rests on table. Background with red drapery and shelf with books. To right of bookcase a cloud filled sky, a hill and a suggestion of a column.

SITTER: Born in New Milford, graduated Yale in 1782. Practiced law in New Milford and Sharon. Moved to Canfield, Ohio in 1815. Spent his last years in NYC with his daughter. A member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, 1791-1809 and judge of the Court of Common Pleas. ARTIST: Ralph Earl was born in Worcester County, Massachusetts to a family of farmers and craftsmen. A Loyalist, Earl refused to fight during the Revolutionary War, eventually fleeing to England and leaving his wife and children. In England, Earl studied in the studio of well-known American artist and expatriate Benjamin West. He returned to America after the war with a new wife and established himself as a portraitist in New York. Alcoholism and growing debt landed Earl in prison from 1786 to 1788. With the aid of New York patrons, he regained his freedom through portrait commissions and settled in Connecticut. His straightforward portraits and occasional landscapes are noted for highlighting the achievements and material wealth of his Connecticut clientele.

• Earl, Ralph, 1751-1801

1796

Painting: X 37"; Frame: 55" x 42 1/2"

• oil
• canvas