Description
Hurd was a prominent silversmith and engraver in Boston, and the warm gaze and unforced smile in his portrait by Copley suggest the friendship between the two artists. Hurd's open-collared shirt, as well as the rakishly tilted turban that covers his shaved head in place of a ceremonial powdered wig, create an air of informality that is unusual for a portrait of this time.
Provenance
Benjamin Hurd [1739-1781], Halifax, Nova Scotia, by descent to his son, John Hurd (-1781); John Hurd, Halifax, Nova Scotia, by descent to his two daughters (1781-); Daughters of John Hurd [d. by 1860], Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Mrs. Thomas Barry (-by 1860); Mrs. Thomas Barry [d. 1869], Halifax, Nova Scotia, by gift to Walter Wesselhoeft (By 1860-1869); Walter Wesselhoeft [1838-1920], Cambridge, MA, consigned to the Copley Gallery (1869-1915); (Copley Gallery, Boston, MA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (1915); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio (1915-)
Accession Number
1915.534
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
Framed: 90.5 x 78 x 6.5 cm (35 5/8 x 30 11/16 x 2 9/16 in.); Unframed: 76.2 x 64.8 cm (30 x 25 1/2 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
