Portrait of a Gentleman

1704

Thomas Forster

Associated Names
Thomas Forster

Artist, British, 1677 - 1712

The image is an oval portrait showing the upper body of a person from the waist up. The individual is positioned facing slightly to the right but looks directly at the viewer. They have a full, round face with smooth skin and a neutral expression. The individual has long, curly hair that falls to the shoulders. They are wearing a dark, flowing garment with visible folds and a white neckcloth covering the neck. There is no visible jewelry or objects being held. The background is plain, making the subject the focal point of the image. The portrait is done in a monochromatic style.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    graphite on parchment (plumbago)

  • Credit Line

    William B. O'Neal Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet (oval): 11.9 × 8.9 cm (4 11/16 × 3 1/2 in.)
    mount: 15.9 × 12.5 cm (6 1/4 × 4 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2018.175.3

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Mrs. Cowan, Diss (Norfolk), by 1934. (Thomas Agnew & Sons, London, 1974); Reginald Humphris, 1974; by descent until 2015. (Lowell Libson & Jonny Yarker, Ltd., London); purchased 2018 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1934

  • Exhibition of British Art, c. 1000-1860. Royal Academy, London, 1934, no. 1314.

1974

  • Agnew's 101st Annual Exhibition of Watercolours and Drawings. Thomas Agnew & Sons, London, 1974, no. 44.

2018

  • The Spirit and Force of Art: Drawing in Britain 1600 - 1750. Lowell Libson and Jonny Yarker, London, 2018, no. 61.

2023

  • Drawing in Britain, 1700 - 1900: New Additions to the Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2023.

Inscriptions

by the artist in graphite at lower right, T. Forster: delin 1704.

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