Nathaniel Hone the Elder, Irish, 1718-1784
Title: Portrait of James Turner, a Beggar
Date: 1750
Medium: Enamel on copper miniature
Dimensions:
5.8 x 4.5 cm
Credit Line: Purchased, 2004
Object Number: NGI.19616
DescriptionThe centrepiece of this unusual grouping of portraits is a delicately painted miniature by Nathaniel Hone. The sitter is James Turner, a well known London character, who charged artists a shilling per hour for posing. A specially made gilded frame contains two further frames which slide out to reveal miniature portrait prints. The engraving on the left was made by Captain William Baillie in 1774. Hone, an avid collector of drawings and prints, produced a number of accomplished mezzotint prints. However, he seems to have been rather less skilled in the etching technique as demonstrated by the rough print on the right.
ProvenanceRt. Hon L.A. Waldron, Marino, Ballybrack, County Dublin, by 1913; purchased James Adams & Sons Ltd., Dublin, 8 December 2004, Important Irish Sale, lot 5
InscriptionOn verso: James Turner/a beggar aged 93/valued his time at/a shilling an hour/1750
