Portrait of Thomas Gray
Printmaker:
Henshaw, William
Draughtsman:
Mason, Rev. William
(After)
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'.
Unknown
by unknown
18th Century
Production date:
circa
AD 1770
Height 140mm (cut to platemark) x width 115mm (cut to platemark)
Accession number: P.14846-R
Primary reference Number: 225455
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Paintings, Drawings and Prints
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Portrait of Thomas Gray" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/225455 Accessed: 2024-12-22 18:15:02
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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/225455
|title=Portrait of Thomas Gray
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-22 18:15:02|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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