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

Audio

Cover Image for 4324. Francis Brinley

4324. Francis Brinley

0:00
0:00
We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. Please email info@metmuseum.org to request a transcript for this track.

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.