Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788)

A Hilly Landscape London, about 1775-80 Black chalk and stump and white chalk on blue paper 270 x 335 mm Gainsborough rarely made drawings as preparation for a painting and at this date he did not work from nature. Instead, landscape drawings such as this were made as private studio exercises in which he manipulated … Read more

Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788)

A Portrait of the Honourable Harriot Marsham London, the late 1770s Oil on canvas 75 x 61 cm Harriot Marsham (1721-1796) was the unmarried daughter of the first Baron Romney.  Gainsborough produced this commissioned portrait of her in her fifties, shortly after his move from Bath to London in 1774.  It is painted on a … Read more

Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788)

A Portrait of Giusto Ferdinando Tenducci Probably Bath, about 1773 Oil on canvas 76.6 x 64 cm Giusto Tenducci (1734-1790) was a celebrated Italian singer who moved to England in 1758.  He was noted for his vanity and an extravagance which left him continually dodging his creditors.  Here he is shown performing, perhaps in a domestic … Read more

Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788)

The Harvest Wagon Bath, exhibited 1767 Oil on canvas 120.5 x 144.7 cm A group of rustic figures travel in a harvest wagon at the end of the working day. The figures are unusually prominent for Gainsborough’s landscapes and are the result of careful study. Two of the women are based on the artist’s daughters … Read more