Figure 1.--The Blue Boy painting by Gainsborourgh in 1779 is one of the most instantly recognizable portraits in the history of art. While painted in the 18th Century, it portrays a Cavalier boy in 17th Century dress.
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Figure 1.--The Blue Boy painting by Gainsborourgh in 1779 is one of the most instantly recognizable portraits in the history of art. While painted in the 18th Century, it portrays a Cavalier boy in 17th Century dress. |
Some of his children's portraits are highly regarded. Two his most
famous portraits are The Blue Boy (1779) and
Pink Boy (17??). The boys, one a relative of Gainsbourough, were painted in elaborate satin and lace costumes of the previous century. His early works show the influence of French engraving and of Dutch landscape painting; at Bath his change of portrait style owed much to a close study of van Dyck (his admiration is most clear in The Blue Boy. Not to be out done by Gainsborough, Sir Thomas Rynolds also did a colored boy--"Brown Boy" hich although largely unknown may actually be a superior work of art.
The Gainsborough painting, "The Blue Boy", portrays Jonathan Buttall, the son of a close friend of the artis who owned an
ironmongery in Soho, London. The work was executed about 1770 during Gainsborough's extended stay in Bath before he
finally settled in London in 1774. The artist has dressed the young man in a costume dating from about 140 years before the
portrait was painted.
The boy was Master Nichols. The painting be seen at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire (England). Details on the
painting of "Blue Boy" are well known. HBC has been unable to find out much about "Pink Boy". Also unclear is to the extent
pink was popular in either the period depicted or the period in which Gainsborough paintedit.
A HBC reader suggests, "HBC ought to have a copy of Reynold's 'Brown
Boy', in the collection at the Bradford Art Gallery, Yorkshire. It's one of my favourites." HBC does not yet, however have details on this Reynold's masterpiece.
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