Period Portraits has dated this Georgian Oil Portrait Painting to the 18th Century.
The elegant young sitter is dressed in white is depicted half-length within an oval cartouche.
When this portrait was painted, the perception of childhood (and the role of children’s clothing) was undergoing important changes. Throughout the early eighteenth century it was usual for children to wear very similar dress to their parents, and this could consist of stiff and restrictive boned garments of silk and satin.
From the 1760s onwards children’s dress began to be dominated by a concern for lighter fabrics – in weight and colour.
The young girl wears an embroidered white back-fastening gown. This garment is fashioned of fine white fabric (either lawn or muslin) and it is sheer enough that a pink undergown shows through, giving a very subtle colouration to the overgarment.
Atop her head she wears a frilled bonnet and a green silk ribbon can just be glimpsed behind her head. A single curl rests upon her shoulder.
The dress of the other sitter is slightly less structured and the shape of its bodice is less defined. Combined with the absence of a cap, this would suggest that the sitter is a boy, presumably the girls brother. His simple gown has tucks in the sleeves which means that it could be let down if necessary as he grew.
Washable white clothing was not only practical but it also signalled a state of childhood innocence, that had recently been identified by the great Enlightenment thinkers of the eighteenth century as a desirable, and a state and stage of development that was distinctive.
This portrait is in an excellent state of conservation and is ready to hand and enjoy in its original frames, which retain original gilding.
I am most grateful to Jacqui Ansell Costume Historian and formerly Senior Lecturer, Christie’s Education for the detailed information and analysis that she has provided on fashion and costume.
Higher resolution images upon request
Worldwide shipping available.
Oil on canvas: 24.5 x 20.5in. (62.5 x 52cm)
Framed: 28.5 x 24.2in. (73 x 62cm)
Price: £6000
Period Portraits has dated this Georgian Oil Portrait Painting to the 18th Century.
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Circle of Joshua Reynolds Pra (1723-1792) - Portrait of a Young Girl.
