Portrait of Thomas Gray: P.14846-R

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Portrait of Thomas Gray

Maker(s)

Printmaker: Henshaw, William
Draughtsman: Mason, Rev. William (After)

Entities

Description

Etching, stipple and drypoint on laid paper. A working proof. Half-length portrait of poet, Thomas Gray (1716-1771), in profile facing left, wearing a plain open coat, jacket, cravat, high collar and a buckled wig with wrapped queue. Inscribed in graphite at lower centre: 'William Henshaw, engraver'. The print has been trimmed to the platemark and is laid down on a slightly larger sheet of paper. This working proof is similar in pose (and reversed) but differs in detail from the known portrait by Henshaw after Mason; Cf. BM: 1867,0309.833. The nose and mouth especially, are noticeably different. See Notes. A biographical note (author unknown) written in pen and ink and pasted to a book label laid down on the artist's board below the print: 'Mr. William Henshaw, Son of a Gunsmith at / Cambridge. He engraved a Head of Mr Gray from a / Drawing by Mr. Mason, and which, I think, is the / best likeness of him. Mr Horace Walpole patronised / this promising Genius, and placed him with Bartolozzi / in London, where he died about 1775.'. Inscribed in graphite on the same label: '1x-8'.