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Francis Brinley

John Smibert American, Scottish
1729
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 708
Francis Brinley (1690–1765) was born in England but moved to Newport, Rhode Island in 1710 at the request of his grandfather. He eventually settled in Boston, where he married Deborah Lyde, granddaughter of Nathaniel Byfield (24.109.87). In 1719, he inherited a substantial tract of land in Roxbury upon which he built the elaborate Datchet House residence. Smibert painted this portrait in Boston in May of 1729. The background, an early instance of landscape in American painting, represents a view of Boston from Brinley's country home. Smibert also painted a portrait of Brinley's wife (62.79.2).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Francis Brinley
  • Artist: John Smibert (American, Edinburgh, Scotland 1688–1751 Boston, Massachusetts)
  • Date: 1729
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 50 x 39 1/4 in. (127 x 99.7 cm)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1962
  • Object Number: 62.79.1
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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4324. Francis Brinley

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