Portrait of a Gentleman Netting Partridges

1756

Arthur Devis

Associated Names
Arthur Devis

Artist, British, 1712 - 1787

The painting shows a man standing in a lush green landscape. He is elegantly dressed in an 18th-century outfit, consisting of a dark blue coat, a red waistcoat and knee-length breeches, with white stockings and black shoes. He appears to be holding strings or cords. To his right, guns and game birds are placed on the grass. A river can be seen flowing gently in the mid-level of the painting. Close by, there are tall trees with dense foliage, painted with detailed leaves. In the distance across the river, a house is visible nestled amongst more trees, and the landscape extends into softly rolling hills. The sky is pale blue with light clouds, complementing the serene, verdant palette of greens and browns that dominate the scene.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Paul Mellon Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 69.9 x 97.8 cm (27 1/2 x 38 1/2 in.)
    framed: 83.8 x 103.5 x 5.4 cm (33 x 40 3/4 x 2 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1964.2.3

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Miss P.A. Hatcher; (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 29 June 1951, no. 132, as Portrait of a Sportsman, bought in); (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 18 June 1954, no. 142, as Lord Brand, of Hurndall Park); purchased by (Edward Speelman, London); sold 1960 to Paul Mellon, Upperville, Virginia; gift 1964 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1964

  • Extended loan for use by Ambassador David K.E. Bruce, U.S. Embassy residence, London, England, 1964-1969 (on loan to Embassy when given to NGA; lent prior to 1964 by Paul Mellon).

1970

  • Extended loan for use by the Ambassador, U.S. Embassy residence, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 1970-1974.

1980

  • The Conversation Piece: Arthur Devis & His Contemporaries, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, 1980, no. 33, repro., (cat. by Ellen G. D'Oench).

Bibliography

1965

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 41, as Lord Brand of Hurndall Park.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 34, repro., as Lord Brand of Hurndall Park.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 106, repro., as Lord Brand of Hurndall Park.

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. New York, 1975: no. 520, color repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 129, repro.

1992

  • Hayes, John. British Paintings of the Sixteenth through Nineteenth Centuries. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1992: 60-61, repro. 61.

Inscriptions

lower center: Art: Devis fe/1756

Wikidata ID

Q20178154

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