John Ashe

Attributed to Gilbert Stuart

National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a seated man from the waist up. The man's body is turned to the left, and he looks straight at us. The man has light skin, a sharp nose, thin lips, and slightly furrowed eyebrows. His white hair is styled back, with curls above his ears. He is dressed in a dark coat with gold details around the collar, and a high white cravat around his neck with a white shirt peeking out underneath. He holds a pair of black gloves in his left hand. The background mostly features a draped red curtain, but to the left a glimpse of a gray-blue sky with clouds is visible.