Pierre Van Cortlandt
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
The artist of these full-length portraits based the elaborate backdrops, and details such as the poses and the animals, on British royal portrait prints (see illustration) that decorated colonial homes. The pictorial link between the Van Cortlandt brothers, who were born into one of the city’s wealthiest Dutch families, and British nobility suggested their great promise. Although information about John, who died in his twenties, is scarce, Pierre inherited vast properties north of Manhattan and became an ardent patriot during the Revolutionary War.
Caption
American. Pierre Van Cortlandt, ca. 1731. Oil on linen, 57 x 41 9/16 in. (144.8 x 105.5 cm) frame: 63 3/4 x 48 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (161.9 x 123.2 x 8.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 41.151. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 41.151_PS6.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Pierre Van Cortlandt
Date
ca. 1731
Medium
Oil on linen
Classification
Dimensions
57 x 41 9/16 in. (144.8 x 105.5 cm) frame: 63 3/4 x 48 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (161.9 x 123.2 x 8.3 cm)
Signatures
Unsigned
Credit Line
Dick S. Ramsay Fund
Accession Number
41.151
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
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Frequent Art Questions
How much of the rationale for commissioning a painting such as this was to establish a claim to the tradition of European wealthy families?
Yes, the rationale behind many of the paintings in that room of American Identities was to establish (or reinforce) an American elite class by using the art styles and symbolism of wealthy European families or European royalty.You may have already read this in the label, but "The artist based the backdrop, and details such as the pose and the dog, on British royal portrait prints that decorated colonial homes as museum posters do today." There were no art academies or museums in the colonies at that early date, so artists could only study and learn from reproductions. Most of them were self-taught.Thank you. It's interesting to consider how much of the impetus to commission art was an economic claim versus trying to show that the subject (or his child) wasn't a backwoods hick as his European trading partners might have thought.Proving oneself to the Europeans was likely also an impetus. If you could look wealthy/sophisticated/smart in portraits displayed for your trading partners, you can essentially "fake it till you make it"!Many visitors find the rough or almost self-trained style of depicting the figures in these early American portraits to be endearing. It is interesting that so much emphasis was on the setting, clothing, and symbolism, but the painters hadn't quite figured out how to paint the human form or faces realistically yet.The wall text about the portrait of Pierre van Cortlandt links the work to British portraits. Would the vase with blue figures (and filled with flowers) also connect it to Dutch painting tradition?
Great question! The painter who created this work was looking at British paintings and would have used prints of British paintings as sources of compositions, costumes, and poses.Many early American and immigrant artists were looking back to Europe for inspiration and to learn painting. Many artists active at this time were self-trained or believed that they needed to travel to Europe to learn painting.The artist based this portrait on a print--a reproduction of a painting of a very young nobleman by the English artist Godfrey Kneller. Kneller's original portrait included flowers in a silver urn, which this unknown artist reinterpreted as Asian porcelain. Are there any other details in the painting that make you question the painting traditions that could be influencing the artist?I was struck by the flowers - they made me think of Dutch still life paintings. And also the sitter's Dutch heritage.Very interesting observations! Although based on a British portrait, including the pose of van Cortlandt, the style of clothing would have been the type of Dutch clothing known at the time.Thanks!Tell me more.
Hi there! The boy in this painting, Pierre van Cortlandt, grew up to be an important figure in New York History. He assisted in writing the first state constitution and was descended from some of the first Dutch settlers in the area.The unknown American artist was likely self-taught from images sent from Europe. In this particular painting, comparisons can be made to prints depicting young British nobility (and their dogs!).
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