Robert Feke was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 portrait painter born on Long Island

Long Island

Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. Little is known for certain about his life before 1741, which is the year he painted his first portrait, Family of Isaac Royall. Sixteen portraits in total are known to be by Feke, and an additional 50 are disputed to be by him. His paintings are known for their sobriety and uniformity, but also for their rich colours and accuracy.

Feke worked in Boston, painting wealthy merchants and landowners, from 1741 until 1750, when he disappeared.

Among Feke's chief influences was John Wollaston

John Wollaston (painter)

John Wollaston was an English painter of portraits who was active in the British colonies in North America for much of his career. He was one of a handful of painters to introduce the English Rococo style to the American colonies.-Biography:Little is known of Wollaston's early life. He is...

.

Works

• Charles Apthorp
  Charles Apthorp
  Charles Apthorp was a British-born merchant in 18th-century Boston, Massachusetts. He ran his import business from Merchants Row, and "in his day he was called the richest man in Boston." He acted for the British government, and supported King's Chapel.-Life and career:He was born in England in...
  
  , Portrait 1748, oil on canvas, Cleveland Museum of Art American
• Grizzell Eastwick Apthorp, Portrait (Mrs. Charles Apthorp) (1748) at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
  Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
  The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, comprising the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco and one of the largest art museums in California.-External...
  
  
• Mrs. John Banister, 1748, oil on canvas, The Detroit Institute of Arts
• William Bowdoin
• John Channing, about 1747-49, Oil on canvas 127 x 102, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• Mary Channing (Mrs. John Channing), about 1747-49, Oil on canvas 127 x 102, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• Tench Francis (Sr.)
  Tench Francis (Sr.)
  Tench Francis was a prominent lawyer and jurist in colonial Maryland and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
  
  , Portrait at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
  Metropolitan Museum of Art
  The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
  
  
• Captain Alexander Graydon, c. 1746, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art American Museum of Fine Arts
• Thomas Hopkinson
  Thomas Hopkinson
  Thomas Hopkinson was a lawyer, public official, and prominent figure in colonial Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
  
  , Portrait at the Smithsonian Institution
  Smithsonian Institution
  The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
  
  
• Ralph Inman
  Ralph Inman
  Ralph Inman was a merchant in 18th-century Boston, Massachusetts, with a residence in Cambridge. During the American Revolution he supported the British.Portraits of Inman were made by Robert Feke and John Singleton Copley.-Further reading:...
  
  
• Isaac Royall
• Edward Shippen
  Edward Shippen
  Edward Shippen was the second mayor of Philadelphia. He was appointed to a one year term by William Penn in 1701. In 1702, he was elected to a second one year term, making him the first elected mayor of Philadelphia...
  
  , Portrait of Chief Justice, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
  Philadelphia Museum of Art
  The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
  
  
• Isaac Winslow, about 1748, Oil on canvas 127 x 102, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston