Portrait of a Gentleman
Fine Arts
Inventory number
2026.4.29.10.FA.PA.C1783.GB
Author:
Samuel COTES (British, 1734 - 1818 Chelsea, London)
Description
Miniature portrait of a gentleman, executed in watercolour on ivory and set within an oval metal frame. The gentleman is shown bust-length in a close three-quarter pose, his body turned slightly to the left while his head inclines gently toward the viewer. His gaze is directed slightly upward, giving the expression a calm and reflective quality. The gentleman has powdered grey hair arranged in an elaborate late eighteenth-century coiffure, with soft curls dressed around the temples and ears. His facial features are finely modelled, with delicate shading around the eyes, nose, and mouth.
He wears a red coat with a turned collar, beneath which appears a white waistcoat with fine vertical red stripes. At the neck, a soft lace-edged jabot is tied.
The miniature portrait was originally set within a frame intended to be worn as a bracelet decoration by a young woman, displaying her husband or love interest. The edges of the frame appear to have been designed for the attachment of ribbons, allowing the miniature to be fastened around the arm.
Materials
Ivory
Watercolour
Metal frame
Glass
Origin
circa 1783
Great Britain, London
Dimensions
Width : 0.3 cm
Length : 4 cm
Height : 4 cm