Sacred to the Memory of the Illustrious George Washington

1801

Thomas Clarke

Associated Names
Thomas Clarke

Artist, American, active c. 1800

Three individuals stand next to a pyramidal monument. The person on the left has their arm raised, their other hand holding a staff with a snake. The middle figure leans forward, covering their face with a handkerchief. The figure on the right faces the monument, also covering their face. Each is dressed in garments with long hair. The monument shows a portrait labeled "G. Washington" and the inscription "There is Rest in HEAVEN." A tree and foliage appear in the background. The scene is framed in a circular border with a banner below stating "SACRED to the MEMORY of the ILLUSTRIOUS G. WASHINGTON."

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Artwork overview

More About this Artwork

Shown from the chest up, an older man with pale, peachy skin, wearing a high-collared black coat and a cream-white, ruffled collar, is shown against a deep wine-red background in this vertical portrait painting. His body is angled to our right and he turns his face to look at us with gray eyes under pale gray eyebrows. He has a hooked nose and jowls along his chin line. His cheeks are flushed and his lips are set in a line. His white hair flares out along the sides of his head and is tied at the nape of his neck with a ribbon loosely painted and outlined with black. His ink-black coat has silvery gray highlights along the high collar and his right shoulder, to our left. The background is painted with light brushstrokes, deepening from scarlet red around his face to black at the upper corners.

Article:  George Washington, Pictured

For centuries, artists have depicted the military general—in paint, in print, and in plaster. These portraits continue to give us insight into Washington’s emotional life, military presence, and cultural footprint.

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Americana Antique & Art Gallery, Falls Church, Virginia); Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1967; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1981

  • Early America on Paper: Prints and Drawings, 1750-1850, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1981

  • The World Turned Upside Down, Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, Washington, DC, 1981-1982

Inscriptions

lower center in plate: T. Clarke Sculp: 1801 Boston. / Sacred to the Memory of the Illustrious G. Washington.

Wikidata ID

Q77008563