Robert Feke: Portrait Of Isaac Royall And Family

This 1741 group portrait by Robert Feke of Isaac Royall Jr., one of the wealthiest men in colonial New England, and his wife, daughter, sister, and sister-in-law is an example of the fledgling school of American artists who drew upon established artistic practices that first developed in Europe while cultivating their own unique style. Given the high prices portrait painters commanded for their commissions, such works tended to be limited to households in the upper echelons and, when displayed in a home’s entryway or parlor, reflected the wealth and prestige of its occupants. Colonial elites obviously sought to emulate their British counterparts by sitting for portrait artists, which indicated both the close connections between Great Britain and its North American colonies and the emergence of powerful colonial leaders, some of whom wished to remain loyal to the British government and others who came to challenge British rule in the 1760s and 1770s.