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National Gallery of Art - THE COLLECTION
image of Portrait of a Gentleman
Joseph Wright (painter)
British, 1734 - 1797
Portrait of a Gentleman, c. 1770-1773
oil on canvas
overall: 128 x 102 cm (50 3/8 x 40 3/16 in.)
Andrew W. Mellon Collection
1940.1.11
On View
From the Tour: British Conversation Pieces and Portraits of the 1700s
Object 5 of 6

Conservation Notes

The medium-to-heavyweight canvas is twill woven; it has been lined. The ground is off-white, thinly applied. The painting is mostly executed in thin, opaque layers; the costume is rendered in thicker paint applied in small strokes, the furry texture of the lapels being created by means of a stiff white paint covered with a transparent blue glaze; there is a low impasto in the leaves and highlights. The background is extensively abraded, but otherwise there is minimal paint loss. The moderately thick natural resin varnish has discolored yellow to a moderate degree.

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