# The American Star (George Washington)

**Frederick Kemmelmeyer** (ca. 1755–1821)  
ca. 1803  
Oil and gold leaf on paper  
22 x 17 3/4 in. (55.9 x 45.1 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 62.256.7. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11301).

## About this work

Frederick Kemmelmeyer painted this in about 1803, aged about 45. It is now at The Met in New York.

### How it was made

- **Gold ground.** Gold leaf laid over a red clay and burnished to a mirror shine, often tooled with punches so it flickers in candlelight. Behind sacred figures it stands for heavenly light.
- **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.

### [Frederick Kemmelmeyer](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/frederick-kemmelmeyer)

ca. 1755–1821

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: American
- The artist was about 45
- Real size: about 22 × 18 in (56 × 45 cm). The 18 × 24 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 18th century
- Movement: [Romanticism](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/romanticism)
- Subjects: Eagles, George Washington
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/838.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/838/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/the-american-star-george-washington-met-11301).