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Nathaniel Hurd
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Hurd was a prominent silversmith and engraver in Boston, and the warm gaze and unforced smile in his portrait by Copley suggest the friendship between the two artists. Hurd's open-collared shirt, as well as the rakishly tilted turban that covers his shaved head in place of a ceremonial powdered wig, create an air of informality that is unusual for a portrait of this time.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineNathaniel Hurd, c. 1765. John Singleton Copley (American, 1738–1815). Oil on canvas; framed: 90.5 x 78 x 6.5 cm (35 5/8 x 30 11/16 x 2 9/16 in.); unframed: 76.2 x 64.8 cm (30 x 25 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust, 1915.534