Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this 18th Century Portrait Painting to the 18th Century.
It is a perfect example of a 'speaking portrait' whose sitter appears to commune with the viewer. Hone was a master of elegant and seductive female portraiture such as this. His portraits, such as this one, can be delightful and of outstanding quality. They have sometimes been attributed to Gainsborough.
NATHANIEL HONE RA (24 April 1718 – 14 August 1784) was an Irish-born portrait and miniature painter, and one of the founder members of the Royal Academy in 1768. The son of a Dublin-based Dutch merchant, Hone moved to England as a young man and, after marrying Molly Earle - daughter of the Duke of Argyll - in 1742, eventually settled in London, by which time he had acquired a reputation as a portrait-painter. While his paintings were popular, his reputation was particularly enhanced by his skill at producing miniatures and enamels. He interrupted his time in London by spending two years (1750–1752) studying in Italy.
In 1775, after an argument with Reynolds, President of the Royal Academy, Hone staged a 'retrospective one-man show' .. the first in the history of British painting.
He died at 44 Rathbone Place, London in 1784 and was buried at Hendon.
SIZE: 40 x 34 inches
PROVENANCE: Private Collection, Essex, for many years. Purchased from a London Gallery.
Roy Precious - Antiques & Fine Art has dated this 18th Century Portrait Painting to the 18th Century.
Roy and nadine precious: specialists in portraiture from the 16th to the 20th century. Established in 1972.
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Portrait of a Lady by Nathaniel Hone (1718-1784)
