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Portrait 2017-300
Portrait of Thomas Claiborne Jr.
Portrait 2017-300

Portrait of Thomas Claiborne Jr.

Dateca. 1825
Attributed to Ralph E. W. Earl
OriginAmerica, Tennessee, Nashville
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOH: 42 in.; OW: 37 in. (framed)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund
Object number2017-300,A&B
DescriptionHalf-length oil portrait of a man turned slightly to his right before a brown-grey background. He has dark brown eyes, and his similarly colored hair is faintly wavy. He has rosy cheeks and strongly defined cheekbones and. Over a white linen shirt with a matching tie and waistcoat, he wears a brass buttoned, dark coat. He is seated in a chair upholstered in some sort of red material with brass tacks. Original 19th-century gilt wood and composition slope-molding frames with corner leave and scroll decoration.
Label TextThomas Claiborne Jr., and Sarah Martin Lewis King Claiborne had their portraits painted by Ralph E. W. Earl around 1825. Thomas, a noted Tennessee lawyer and politician, served on General Andrew Jackson’s staff during the Creek War in 1813-1814. Born in Virginia, Thomas moved to Tennessee in 1807. Sarah’s parents were also from Virginia, but moved west the year she was born. By their 1812 marriage, the couple were well-respected members of Nashville society. Of his many accomplishments, Thomas is most noted as being the first Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee.

The close relationship between artist Ralph E. W. Earl and Andrew Jackson provided Earl with multiple commissions from the General’s political colleagues and military associates. Claiborne’s service with Jackson during the War of 1812 and his time as a member of Congress made him an ideal subject for Earl. The artist completed the couple’s portraits several years before his move to Washington, D.C.
ProvenanceDescended in the Claiborne Family through Henry (Harry) Laurens Claiborne; sold to dealer Charles Elder of Nashville, Tennessee; sold to Dr. Benjamin Caldwell circa 1960s; acquired from the Caldwell auction in 2006 by a Maryville, Tennessee collector.
Exhibition(s)