Study for "The Great Seal of the State of Delaware"

c. 1847

Thomas Sully

Associated Names
Thomas Sully

Artist, American, born England, 1783 - 1872

The image shows two full-length figures in front of an ornate emblem resembling a coat of arms. The person on the left is standing upright, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, a blue vest over a cream-colored shirt, and light-colored pants. They are holding a tool, perhaps a shovel or a spade, which is resting on the ground. The person on the right wears a hat with a distinctive shape, adorned with small feathers, a dark coat with red trim, and coordinating pants. They are holding a staff or spear upright. Between the two figures is an ornate emblem with a large scroll-like structure at its lower portion, upon which a small horse or goat is depicted. Above this, a man stands holding a model of a ship with billowing sails. The background features a pale blue and beige sky-like backdrop, and the entire scene is encircled within a roundel, with text partially visible below the figures.

Media Options

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Artwork overview


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Ruth Sully Curtis (the artist's great-granddaughter), Norwood, Pennsylvania; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1968; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Bibliography

1983

  • Simmons, Linda Crocker and with the assistance of Adrianne J. Humphrey, et al. American Drawings, Watercolors, Pastels, and Collages in the Collection of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1983: p. 3, no. 18.

Wikidata ID

Q64633310

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