The Enigmatic Brush of a Colonial Master In the tapestry of early American art, few threads are as intriguing yet elusive as those woven by Robert Feke. A painter whose life remains shrouded in the mists of the eighteenth century, Feke emerged as a vital force in the colonial landscape, capturing the burgeoning identity of a new world through the faces of its rising aristocracy. Born around 1705 in Oyster Bay, New York, his early years are largely lost to history, leaving behind only fragments of a journey that would eventually lead him to the heart of Boston’s social elite. While much of hi…