JEAN-FRANCOIS DE TROY (1679-1752) Before the Ball (1735) Oil on canvas (82 x 63 cm) Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles To enlarge the picture, right-click on it and "Open in a new tab" De Troy was a very talented and versatile artist; he was an equally competent draughtsman, easel and fresco painter and tapestry designer. …
Month: March 2018
The Laundress
JEAN BAPTISTE GREUZE (1725-1805) The Laundress (1761) Oil on canvas (40.5 x 32 cm) Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles To enlarge the picture, right-click on it and "Open in a new tab" During the last half of the 18th century, Greuze was the most famous and successful exponent of genre painting in France. He normally …
Master Bunbury
SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS PRA (1723-1792) Master Bunbury (1780-81) Oil on canvas (78 x 64 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art To enlarge the picture, right-click on it and "Open in a new tab" This is one of those paintings whose genesis and the behind-the-scenes story are as interesting as its aesthetical value. Scholars have disagreed over …
Portrait of a Woman
ANTON VAN DYCK (1599-1641) Portrait of a woman (c. 1634-35) Oil on canvas (208 x 118 cm) Windsor Castle, Royal Collection Born in Antwerp, Anton van Dyck was a pupil of Rubens and as such he distinguished himself very early. An early visit to London in 1620-21 during the reign of James I was short-lived …
Mr. and Mrs. Garrick
WILLIAM HOGARTH (1697-1764) David Garrick with his Wife Eva-Maria Veigel (c. 1757) Oil on canvas (133 x 104 cm) Windsor Castle, Royal Collection To enlarge the image, right-click on it and "Open in a new tab" The portrait was presumably a personal commission from the actor David Garrick. It was reported to be in progress by …
The Shipbuilder and his Wife
REMBRANDT VAN RIJN (1606-1669) Jan Rijcken and his Wife, Griet Jans / The shipbuilder and his Wife (1633) Oil on canvas (114 x 169 cm) Buckingham Palace, Royal Collection To enlarge the images, right-click on them and "Open in a new tab" The Shipbuilder and his Wife is a painting of the greatest significance, both in …
An Evening Landscape
AELBERT CUYP (1620-1691) An Evening Landscape with Figures and Sheep (1655-60) Oil on canvas (101 x 153 cm) Buckingham Palace, Royal Collection To enlarge the image, right-click on it and "Open in a new tab" Cuyp was one of the most popular artists with British collectors during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. George IV …
A Conversation in Rome
NATHANIEL DANCE (1735-1811) A Conversation Piece: James Grant of Grant, John Mytton, The Hon. Thomas Robinson, and Thomas Wynn (1760-61) Oil on canvas (96 x 123 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art To enlarge the picture, right-click on it and "Open in a new tab" Nathaniel Dance's career resemble that of other British artists of that …
Miss Elizabeth Linley
THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH (1727-1788) Miss Elizabeth Linley, later Mrs Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1775) Oil on canvas (76 x 63 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art "She is really beautiful, her complexion a clear, lovely, animated brown, with a blooming colour on her cheeks; her nose, that most elegant of shapes. Grecian, fine luxurious, easy-sitting hair, a charming forehead, pretty …
Purity and Meekness
POMPEO BATONI (1708-1787) Purity of Heart (1752) Meekness (1752) Oil on canvas (98 x 74 cm) Uppark, West Sussex, UK To enlarge the images, right-click on them and "Open in a new tab" The following paragraphs belong to Alastair Laing's excellent book (1) published by the National Trust and the National Gallery for the magnificent exhibition …
Old Masters 