Portrait of Benjamin Franklin

1777

Giovanni Battista Nini

(Italian, 1717–1786)

Culture

France, 18th century

Medium

terracotta

Measurements

Diameter: 11.4 cm (4 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Bequest of James Parmelee 1940.578

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Location

Not on view

Description

Scholars debate whether Nini met Benjamin Franklin personally or based the nine versions of his portrait on drawings by artist Thomas Walpole (British, 1755-1840). In this particular cast, Nini presents Franklin with a fur hat, which may be an allusion to French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, suggesting a comparison between the inventor and the philosopher and their roles in revolutionary politics on both sides of the Atlantic. Nini copied Franklin's fur hat from a portrait of Rousseau by Allan Ramsay (Scottish, 1713-1784). The small crest below Franklin's left shoulder shows a bolt of lightning striking an iron bar held by a hand, a reference to Franklin's discovery of the lightning rod and electricity.