Collection Highlights
The Peale Family
Date:
1773-1809
Object Number:
1867.298
Medium:
Oil on canvas
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Museum Collections
Luce Center
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Object Number:
1971.126
Date:
1777
Medium:
Plaster in gilded frame
Dimensions:
Overall: 7 7/8 x 6 3/8 x 1 1/8 x 4 5/8 in. ( 20 x 16.2 x 2.9 x 11.7 cm )
Marks:
paper label: on back: "7041"
Description:
Bas-relief portrait
Gallery Label:
Before settling on a final version of Franklin's portrait, Nini experimented with variants that excluded the fur cap or added a liberty cap. This rare plaster medallion is an experimental effort showing Franklin wearing spectacles, a difficult feature to render in a bas-relief. Nini sculpted the bar of the spectacles so it would pass below the eye, in order not to obscure it.
Credit Line:
Gift of the Heirs of Mr. Hall Park McCullough
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
