The Skater (Portrait of William Grant)
1782 · Oil on canvas · National Gallery of Art, Washington
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This print

About this work
- Artist
- Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828)
- Year
- 1782
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 245.5 × 147.4 cm
- Collection
- National Gallery of Art, Washington
- Movement
- Colonial American
The Scottish gentleman William Grant skates across a frozen lake in a black coat and hat, arms folded, with other skaters and bare winter trees behind. Grant came to sit for a conventional portrait, but the day was so cold that he and Stuart went skating instead, and the idea for the picture was born. Shown at the Royal Academy in 1782, it made Stuart's reputation. It is in the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A tall, elegant winter portrait in grey and black for a hallway, study or narrow wall in a black frame. It suits white or pale grey walls and is a gift for a skater.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Colonial American painting
- Era
- 18th century (1782)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- intimate
- Rooms
- hallway or entryway, study or library, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — dark wood flatters the lighter palette; black sharpens it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is The Skater (Portrait of William Grant) in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Skater (Portrait of William Grant) painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
























