Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Lord Byron's Visit to the U.S.S. Constitution in Leghorn Harbor |
Place of Origin |
Italy, Leghorn Harbor |
Artist or Maker |
West, William Edward (1788-1857) |
Date |
c. 1822-1824 |
Materials |
Oil on Canvas |
Dimension Details |
Height: 13" Width: 17" Framed Height: 17 3/8" Width: 21 1/2" Depth: 2 3/8" |
Description |
This medium-high, eye-level painting depicts the famous British writer Lord Byron responding to an invitation to visit the USS "Constitution" while it was anchored near the port city of Leghorn just south of Pisa, Italy. Byron, wearing a top hat and waving a red banner, is shown standing in one of a party of longboats being rowed toward the triple-masted sailing ship. The "Constitution" dominates the left side of the painting, with its topsails set against a calm, colorful sky. William Edward West was born in Lexington, Kentucky and began his career painting miniatures. He moved to Philadelphia around 1809 to work and study portraiture with Thomas Sully. By 1820 he was in training at the academy in Florence, Italy, where he met and painted a portrait of Lord Byron, who lived nearby. West later painted Byron’s visit to the "Constitution," which was his only maritime painting. In 1825 he moved to London to paint portraits and literary pictures, and then returned to the United States in 1837. |
Provenance |
Kennedy Galleries, New York, New York Sold to Horace Gordon, Villanova, Pennsylvania, 1965 Sold to H. Richard Dietrich (1938-2007), Chester Springs, Pennsylvania between 1965-1977 Gift to The Dietrich American Foundation, 2007 |
Object Name |
Painting |
Object ID |
6.3.HRD.706 |
Search Terms |
paintings |