Circle of Thomas Hudson (1701-1779) - 18th Century English School Antique Oil On Canvas Portrait Painting Of A Young Boy

An 18th Century English School antique oil on canvas portrait of a boy in the manner of the artist Thomas Hudson.

Depicted standing three-quarter length, wearing a blue waistcoat and green velvet jacket.

Verso, the portrait bears an old label indistinctly inscribed '....[?] Lely' attached to the upper horizontal stretcher bar.

Provenance:  Previously in the ownership of Philip Rowden of Garbrand Hall, later known as Bourne Hall, Ewell, Surrey;  Thence by descent. Private Collection, UK.  Note:  The present work depicts a boy in elegant attire, with one hand upon his hip and the other upon a cane, exuding an authority that is remarkable for his youth. It is painted very much in the vein of portraits by Hudson, one of the most prolific and successful portraitists in 18th-century Britain, whose students included Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) and Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797).

Presented in a period gilt gesso frame.

About The Artist:

Thomas Hudson (1701 – 1779) was an English painter, almost exclusively of portraits.

Hudson was born in Devon in 1701. His exact birthplace is unknown. He studied under Jonathan Richardson in London and against his wishes, married Richardson's daughter at some point before 1725.

Hudson was most prolific between 1740 and 1760 and, from 1745 until 1755 was the most successful London portraitist. He had many assistants and employed the specialist drapery painter Joseph Van Aken. Joshua Reynolds, Joseph Wright and the drapery painter Peter Toms were his students.

Hudson visited the Low Countries in 1748 and Italy in 1752. In 1753 he bought a house at Cross Deep, Twickenham, just upstream from Pope's Villa. He retired toward the end of the 1750s. William Hickey described the elderly Hudson, "His figure was rather grotesque, being uncommonly low in stature, with a prodigious belly, and constantly wearing a large white bushy periwig. He was remarkably good-tempered, and one of my first-rate favourites, notwithstanding that he often told me I should certainly be hanged.". He died at Twickenham in 1779. His extensive private art collection was sold off in three separate sales.

Many of Hudson's works may be seen in art galleries throughout the United Kingdom. They include the National Portrait Gallery, the National Maritime Museum, Tate, Barnstaple Guildhall, The Foundling Museum and the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery.

Condition: Cleaned and relined historically. The picture displays will. A further condition report is available upon request.

Size: Including frame H / Excluding frame H 74cm (29") x W 62 cm (24.4")