Elizabeth Shewell West and Her Son, Raphaelc. 1770
West was the first American artist to study in Italy, where he spent three years before permanently settling in London. More about this work
About this work
West was the first American artist to study in Italy, where he spent three years before permanently settling in London. He so admired the artistic ideals of the Italian Renaissance master Raphael that he named his eldest son after him, and he imitated Raphael’s celebrated Madonna of the Chair when composing this tender double portrait of his wife and child.
Text from the Cleveland Museum of Art.
How it was made
- Oil paint
- Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.
Benjamin West
American, born The Thirteen Colonies, 1738–1820
West grew up in Pennsylvania and, after three years in Italy, settled in London in 1763, never returning to America. He became history painter to George III and, in 1792, succeeded Joshua Reynolds as President of the Royal Academy. His The Death of General Wolfe broke with convention by showing a modern event in contemporary dress. His London studio welcomed generations of American artists, including Charles Willson Peale, Gilbert Stuart and Thomas Sully.
Written by Ochre Editions.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Cleveland Museum of Art has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 1927.393
- Credit
- Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
- Type
- Painting
- Department
- American Painting and Sculpture
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
