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John Jay

John Jay
Artist
Gilbert Stuart, 3 Dec 1755 - 9 Jul 1828
John Trumbull, 6 Jun 1756 - 10 Nov 1843
Sitter
John Jay, 12 Dec 1745 - 17 May 1829
Date
begun 1784; completed by 1818
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Other: 128.3 x 101.6cm (50 1/2 x 40")
Frame: 150.5 x 122.6 x 12.1cm (59 1/4 x 48 1/4 x 4 3/4")
Topic
Interior
Printed Material\Book
Printed Material\Document
John Jay: Male
John Jay: Law and Crime\Lawyer
John Jay: Literature\Writer
John Jay: Politics and Government\Congressman\Continental congressman
John Jay: Politics and Government\Governor\New York
John Jay: Law and Crime\Judge\Justice\US Supreme Court Justice\Chief Justice of US
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.74.46
Exhibition Label
Born New York City
John Jay played a formative role in the founding of the United States. After helping to negotiate the treaty that ended the Revolutionary War, he served as secretary of foreign affairs (1784–89) and first chief justice of the United States (1789–95). An advocate for a strong national government, Jay co-authored (with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison) the Federalist Papers (1787–88), a collection of essays that promoted the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
In 1794, when war with England threatened, Chief Justice Jay went to London to defuse the crisis. Accompanying him as secretary was the artist John Trumbull who, after returning home in 1804, completed this portrait, which was left unfinished in 1784 by Gilbert Stuart. Although the treaty Jay negotiated in London was violently criticized as a return to English dominance,
John Jay 1745–1829
Nacido en la Ciudad de Nueva York
John Jay tuvo un papel formativo en la fundación de Estados Unidos. Luego de ayudar a negociar el tratado que puso fin a la Guerra de Independencia, fue secretario de asuntos exteriores (1784–89) y primer juez presidente del Tribunal Supremo (1789– 95). Propulsor de un gobierno nacional fuerte, fue coautor (con Alexander Hamilton y James Madison) de los “Artículos del Federalista” (1787–88), una colección de ensayos que promovía la ratificación de la Constitución de EE.UU.
En 1794, ante la amenaza de una guerra con Inglaterra, Jay fue a Londres para apaciguar la crisis. Lo acompañó como secretario el artista John Trumbull, quien al regresar a América en 1804 completó este retrato, dejado inconcluso en 1784 por Gilbert Stuart. Aunque el controversial tratado que negoció Jay en Londres, conocido como el Tratado Jay, fue agriamente criticado como un regreso al dominio inglés, logró evitar una guerra que la joven república no estaba lista para librar.
Provenance
John Jay, Williamstown, Mass.; purchased 1974 NPG
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Exhibition
Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
On View
NPG, East Gallery 140