John Singleton Copley | Explore & Learn | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

John Singleton Copley, American, 1738–1815
Daniel Crommelin Verplanck, 1771
Oil on canvas; 49 1/2 x 40 in. (125.7 x 101.6 cm)
Gift of Bayard Verplanck, 1949 (49.12)

Of the three portraits Copley painted for the Verplanck family, Daniel's is by far the most ambitious. The pictures of Daniel's father, Samuel, and his uncle Gulian (both in the Metropolitan Museum's collection) are simple and stark, while his is grand and intricate, an imposing portrayal of the precocious scion of one of New York's most prominent families. Daniel attended the city's best schools and his parents passed on to him their taste for the finest of everything; his portrait exceeds theirs in grandeur, in keeping with their high expectations for him. He wears a stylish suit with a brocaded vest and sits on a porch amid imposing classical columns. His remarkable pet squirrel, which Daniel has apparently civilized through careful training, holds onto his leg without inflicting pain. The setting for this picture suggests—but does not accurately depict—the Verplanck country estate.
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Photograph Credits


	John Singleton Copley, American, 1738–1815 Daniel Crommelin Verplanck, 1771 Oil on canvas; 49 1/2 x 40 in. (125.7 x 101.6 cm) Gift of Bayard Verplanck, 1949 (49.12)
Of the three portraits Copley painted for the Verplanck family, Daniel's is by far the most ambitious. The pictures of Daniel's father, Samuel, and his uncle Gulian (both in the Metropolitan Museum's collection) are simple and stark, while his is grand and intricate, an imposing portrayal of the precocious scion of one of New York's most prominent families. Daniel attended the city's best schools and his parents passed on to him their taste for the finest of everything; his portrait exceeds theirs in grandeur, in keeping with their high expectations for him. He wears a stylish suit with a brocaded vest and sits on a porch amid imposing classical columns. His remarkable pet squirrel, which Daniel has apparently civilized through careful training, holds onto his leg without inflicting pain. The setting for this picture suggests—but does not accurately depict—the Verplanck country estate. Click on the image to see a larger version of the painting. To look at another painting, go back to the main screen.