Portrait of a Man, Said to Be James Madison (1751–1836)

Annibal Christian Loutherbourg, son of the famous painter Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg, worked as a miniature painter in the late eighteenth century. This ivory portrait, said to depict James Madison (1751-1836), the fourth President of the United States, dates from 1795. If the identification is correct, it would have been painted during Madison's service as a Virginia congressman before his presidency.

The ivory miniature renders the sitter with the precise technique demanded by the intimate format. The warm ivory ground enhances the naturalistic flesh tones while the careful brushwork captures physiognomic details essential for portrait identification.