Hugh Douglas Hamilton, Irish, 1740-1808
Title: Portrait of Thomas Roberts (1748-1777), Artist
Date: c.1769
Medium: Pastel and graphite on paper
Dimensions:
27 x 22 cm
Credit Line: Purchased, 2009
Object Number: NGI.2009.10
DescriptionThis is a particularly significant and poignant image as it is the only known portrait of Thomas Roberts, the important Irish landscape artist, who died aged 28. It is likely Roberts was lodging with the Dublin painter George Mullins when he met Hamilton, who was on a visit to his native city. This unsigned oval portrait is a typical example of the pastels Hamilton produced during the 1760s and 1770s. Hamilton, who like Roberts trained at the Dublin Society Drawing Schools, had moved to London around 1764 where he established himself as a successful portraitist.
ProvenanceThe sitter and by descent; purchased, Private Collection, 2009
Exhibition HistoryThomas Roberts 1748-1777, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 2009
Waterford City 1100th Anniversary, Waterford Museum of Treasures, Waterford, 10 July - 10 November 2014
Waterford City 1100th Anniversary, Waterford Museum of Treasures, Waterford, 10 July - 10 November 2014