Oil on canvas; 89.22 x 72.39 cm (35 1/8 x 28 1/2 in). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA.
Copley’s portrait of his friend and colleague abides by the rules of colonial portraiture and perhaps embeds an encoded story.
The obvious clues to Revere’s artistic identity are his open-collared shirt, lack of a coat, contemplative hand-to-chin pose, teapot without an inscription, and tools of the silversmith's trade. The embedded narrative centers on the teapot — Revere crafted only one in 1768 — since his clients had boycotted tea.