
Captain John Garish
John Smibert · 1737
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 75.9 × 62.6 cm (29 7/8 × 24 5/8 in.)
- Currently held
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Movement
- Rococo
Painted in 1737, this portrait of Captain John Garish carries the quiet authority typical of John Smibert at the height of his colonial American career — a sitter rendered with sober dignity against a muted background, every detail of costume and expression conveying social standing without vanity. Smibert arrived in Boston in 1729 after training in London and studying the old masters in Rome, bringing with him a command of the Baroque portrait tradition that no colonial painter could match at the time. His work draws on the lineage of Godfrey Kneller, tempering the grandeur of British court portraiture into something more direct and grounded — suited to the merchant and military classes of New England. The warm tonality of his flesh tones and his controlled, confident brushwork in the sitter's coat and linen reflect years of serious academic training. Smibert also brought plaster casts and copies of European masterworks to Boston, effectively creating the first public art collection in the American colonies and shaping the taste of a generation of painters who followed him. This hand-painted oil reproduction faithfully replicates Smibert's palette and brushwork, giving you a piece that reads as a genuine old master rather than a print — the depth of layered oil paint inseparable from the painting's presence.
Hand-painted oil reproduction
Painted in real oil on stretched canvas by master copyists. Delivered unframed — ready to frame at home.
Choose a size
In Smibert's style.
Send us a photograph of your family, pet, or home — we'll paint it as a custom oil on stretched canvas in any style you like. From £220.

← Real customer commission · see the full gallery
Code WELCOME20 at checkout for 20% off your first commission.
Commission yours →


