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Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755–1828)
Joseph Brant, 1786
Oil on canvas; 23 1/2 x 24 in. (59.7 x 61 cm)
The Northumberland Estates, Alnwick Castle, Collection of the Duke of Northumberland
SY.11
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In 1786, Stuart's patron the second Duke of Northumberland asked him to paint a visiting dignitary from North America, Joseph Brant (1743–1807), whose given Mohawk name was Thayendanegea. Stuart captured precisely the persona Brant strove to project: he exemplifies the noble savage, an Iroquois statesman decorated by the British. Yet his poignant facial expression seems to acknowledge the obvious equivocation in the king's promises of protection for his people and their land.
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