The best-loved painting by John Smart is Sir William Hood (1766), which hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Baron Gustaf Adam von Nolcken (1775) and Portrait of a Gentleman (1766) come next among the canvases readers know best. Our catalogue holds 40 works by John Smart: here are the 43 most famous, each with its year, its museum and what makes it memorable.
Ranked by our popularity score, which combines the searches, visits and orders for each work. Updated November 2026. Each painting on this page can be ordered as an oil reproduction painted by hand on linen canvas, or as a fine art print, made to the size you choose.
The portrait titled Sir William Hood is a work by the British artist John Smart. Born in Norfolk, Smart captured this sitter in a moment of quiet, aristocratic poise. The image presents a man of status, his presence defined by the sharp contrast of a white cravat against a deep crimson waistcoat. It is a study of a single life held within a small, oval frame.
To hold this miniature is to hold a fragment of the Georgian era, a quiet encounter with Baron Gustaf Adam von Nolcken. Painted in 1775, the portrait captures the Swedish diplomat in a moment of composed dignity. He is presented in a three-quarter view, his gaze steady and his expression carrying the weight of his station. The subject is framed within an oval gold-toned locket, an intimate scale that demands…
is a portrait miniature executed by the British artist John Smart. Dating to 1766, the work captures a single gentleman from the mid-18th century. It represents a period of significant technical development in the art of the miniature, focusing on the intimate scale of the individual subject.
In the Portrait of an Elderly Lady by John Smart, the subject is captured in a centered, bust-length view within a delicate oval format. The perspective is a direct, eye-level gaze that invites a sense of closeness. She sits against a neutral, olive-toned background, a quiet space that allows her presence to remain the singular focus. Her expression is serene and slightly pleasant, carrying a weight of quiet wisdom through…
This 1777 portrait miniature, titled Captain Marriott, presents an intimate oval-shaped bust-length depiction of a young man in profile. Facing left, the subject is rendered with a calm and dignified expression that conveys a sense of quiet nobility or military poise. The composition is characterized by a vibrant, saturated red coat that stands in sharp contrast to the crisp white of his cravat and powdered hair. A soft, neutral greyish-brown…
To hold this miniature is to encounter a moment of poised dignity from 1773. The subject, a young man captured in a three-quarter view, gazes out with a calm expression that suggests a life of composure. He is framed within an oval composition, a choice that focuses the viewer entirely on the subtle nuances of his features and the texture of his attire. There is an immediate sense of presence…
This portrait of Robert, first Baron Clive of Plassey, was executed by the artist John Smart in 1776. The work presents the subject as a middle-aged man positioned in a bust-length view. He is depicted wearing military attire, which includes a red jacket with deep blue lapels. Gold embroidery adorns the edges of the lapels. A white cravat and a powdered wig frame the face of the subject.
The four subjects that return most often on these canvases, each with its best-loved example.
The 4 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by John Smart | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Yale Center for British Art |
New Haven | 10 | Portrait of a Gentleman, Portrait of an Elderly Lady, Captain Marriott |
 Nationalmuseum |
Stockholm | 8 | Baron Gustaf Adam von Nolcken, John Smart Junior, the artists son, Lady Deering |
 Cleveland Museum of Art |
Cleveland | 5 | Portrait of Constantine Phipps, Portrait of Mrs. Nathaniel Bailey, née Lamack, Portrait of an Officer |
 Metropolitan Museum of Art |
New York | 4 | Sir William Hood, Mrs. Comyns, Mrs. Caroline Deas |
The portrait titled Sir William Hood is a work by the British artist John Smart. Born in Norfolk, Smart captured this sitter in a moment of quiet, aristocratic…
To hold this miniature is to hold a fragment of the Georgian era, a quiet encounter with Baron Gustaf Adam von Nolcken. Painted in 1775, the portrait captures…
Sir William Hood (1766), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Baron Gustaf Adam von Nolcken (1775) and Portrait of a Gentleman (1766) follow.
John Smart, born in 1741, was 25 years old: Sir William Hood dates from 1766.
Sir William Hood, Baron Gustaf Adam von Nolcken, Portrait of a Gentleman, Portrait of an Elderly Lady, Captain Marriott, Portrait of a Gentleman, Robert, first Baron Clive of Plassey, John Smart Junior, the artists son, Portrait of Constantine Phipps and Portrait of a Lady. Each canvas in the ranking above comes with its year and its museum.
40 works by John Smart are in our catalogue, dated 1760 to 1799.
Mostly in Yale Center for British Art (New Haven), Nationalmuseum (Stockholm) and Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland); the list above names each museum and its canvases.
In 1770s, which gave 9 of the 43 works on this page, Baron Gustaf Adam von Nolcken among them.
The earliest canvas here is Mrs. Comyns (1760); the latest is Portrait of Lieutenant General Daniel Burr (1799).
Man (6), White cravat (4) and Red coat (3), across the 43 works on this page.
Watercolor, used in 4 of the 43 works on this page.
Neoclassicism, as the canvases on this page show.
The Yale Center for British Art, New Haven holds 10 of the works on this page, among them Portrait of a Gentleman, Portrait of an Elderly Lady and Captain Marriott.
Yes. Every painting on this page can be ordered from its own page as an oil reproduction painted by hand, or as a fine art print, in the size you choose.
In the delicate, luminous world of eighteenth-century British portraiture, few names evoke the same sense of intimate precision as John Smart. A master of the miniature, Smart possessed the rare ability to compress the grandeur of the Georgian era into tiny, ivory canvases that felt as vast and profound as the souls they depicted. While his physical works were small enough to be held in the palm of a hand, the impact of his artistry was monumental, bridging the gap between the formal rigidity of classical portraiture and the burgeoning emotional depth of the Romantic movement.
Born in Norfolk, United Kingdom, Smart’s early life remains somewhat shrouded in the soft mists of history, yet the traces of his development reveal an artist deeply connected to the pulse of English art. His talent was evident from a young age; in 1755, he was recorded as a runner-up in a drawing competition for under-fourteens held by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. This early recognition led him to London, where he attended the drawing school of William Shipley alongside other notable contemporaries like Richard Cosway.
To gaze upon a true John Smart miniature is to witness a masterclass in light and texture. His technique was nothing short of alchemy, often employing the grisaille method—a sophisticated process where a monochrome underpainting establishes the foundational shadows and structural tones. Upon this skeletal framework, he applied incredibly thin, translucent glazes of color. This layering allowed light to pass through the pigment and reflect off the white ivory base, creating an ethereal, inner glow that seemed to emanate from within the subject itself.
Unlike some of his contemporaries, such as Cosway, whose work often leaned toward a more flamboyant style, Smart’s approach was characterized by a quiet, grey-toned palette and subtle flesh tints. He possessed a profound knowledge of anatomy, ensuring that his portraits were drawn with greater anatomical accuracy than almost any other miniature painter of his era. His ability to use fine white lines over loose brushstrokes to suggest individual hairs or the delicate stippling of a face provided a degree of warmth and depth that was truly unique.
Smart’s career was marked by both professional leadership and geographical exploration. He exhibited at the Society of Artists in London from 1762 onwards, eventually ascending to the position of president in 1778. His reach extended far beyond the borders of England; in 1788, he traveled to India, where he was based in Madras. During this period, he obtained numerous commissions, creating works that captured the essence of his subjects even while far from his London roots.
The historical significance of his work is preserved through remarkable collections, such as the Starr collection at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which includes a signed and dated miniature for nearly every year of his career. This chronological record allows scholars to witness the full progression of his style and the changing fashions of the period. Through his meticulous dedication to the art of the miniature, John Smart left behind a window into human truth, capturing the quiet, psychological nuances of the Georgian age.
