A Brief Brilliance: The Life of Nathaniel Smybert In the quiet, burgeoning landscape of mid-18th-century Boston, a fleeting but significant light emerged in the form of Nathaniel Smybert. Born on January 20, 1734, to the esteemed Scottish-American painter John Smibert, Nathaniel was destined for the brush from his very first breaths. Growing up in the shadow of his father’s monumental influence, he did not merely observe art; he lived it. His early years were spent immersed in the technical rigors of the studio, absorbing the nuances of light, shadow, and the dignified poise required of colo…