Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette
Portrait, oil on canvas by Joseph Boze, 1790
89.2 cm x 70.7 cm
Commissioned by Thomas Jefferson in 1790 for his gallery of American heroes, this Joseph Boze painting represents Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, at the pinnacle of his career. A musketeer in the King's Regiment of France, Lafayette was stirred by the reports of Americans fighting for liberty. In 1777, he bought a ship and sailed for America, earning an honorary commission as major general in the Continental Army. He was devoted to Gen. George Washington, who became his mentor. Lafayette's courage on the battlefield and successful pleas for material aid from France established him as a hero. He risked his life for liberty in a country not his own and captured the imagination and admiration of Americans.
See this object in detail
permalink