Portrait of a Gentleman aged 53 in 1782

Thomas Beach (1738 - 1806)

Oil on canvas

1782

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Image of Portrait of a Gentleman aged 53 in 1782
  • About the work
    Location
    Country: Japan
    City: Tokyo
    Place: British Embassy
    This portrait of an English gentleman, aged 53 in 1782, is a fine example of the work of portrait painter Thomas Beach. Like many of his paintings it is contained within a painted illusionistic oval frame. The sitter appears florid in complexion and somewhat portly. His blue coat, trimmed in gold braid, suggests a link with the Navy.
    Although the sitter’s identity is unknown, it is possible that he was resident in the West of England, as Beach was based in Bath and, from June to December each year, he travelled around Dorset and Somerset, painting portraits in the houses of the country nobility and gentry.
    The Government Art Collection also includes an ‘autotype’ copy of this portrait.This was a method used by the Autotype Company, based in Brixton from 1868, to mass produce images. It is thought that the process involved making a carbon print (a form of photograph, achieving tone using differing thicknesses of darkened gelatine). It was printed onto a primed canvas, and oil paint and varnish were added to make it look as close to the original as possible.

  • About the artist
    Thomas Beach, portrait painter, was born in Abbey Milton in Dorset. He studied at St. Martin’s Lane Academy in London and, from 1760 to 1762, with Sir Joshua Reynolds. By 1772 he had moved to Bath, where his success was said to have driven his rival Joseph Wright of Derby from the town in 1777. Beach was noted for the strong likenesses of his portraits. His friend, the diarist Horace Walpole, wrote that they ‘never require the horrid question of - Pray whose is that Sir? - They always explain themselves’. Beach retired to Dorchester in Dorset, where he continued to paint until at least 1802. He died in Dorset in 1806.
  • Explore
    People
    unknown man
    Places
    Subjects
    male portrait, man, 18th century costume, coat, wig, lace jabot
    Materials & Techniques
    canvas, oil, oil painting
  • Details
    Artist
    Thomas Beach (1738 - 1806)
    Title
    Portrait of a Gentleman aged 53 in 1782
    Date
    1782
    Medium
    Oil on canvas
    Dimensions
    height: 75.00 cm, width: 62.00 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from Colnaghi's, October 1953
    Inscription
    bl: T. Beach pinxt / 1782 ; br: Aetat 53
    GAC number
    2337