Portrait of Sir Charles Kemeys-Tynte, Baronet (1710-1785)

License image

Thomas Frye , Irish, 1710-1762

Title

Date1739

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions

127 x 102 cm

Signedcentre left: T. Frye Pinx. 1739

Credit LinePresented, Mr G. Hannen, 1930

Object numberNGI.927

ProvenancePeg Woffington, the sitter; by descent at Halswell Park, Somerset, until 1908; by descent, Frank Meyer, London; Christie's, London, 30 May 1930, John Ferguson Sale; presented, Gordon Hannen, June, 1930 Exhibition HistoryIrish Portraits 1660-1860, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 14 August - 14 October 1969; National Portrait Gallery, London, 30 October 1969 - 4 January 1970; Ulster Museum, Belfast, 28 January - 9 March 1970

Neglected Genius: Thomas Frye An Irish Artist in London, Dublin Castle, Dublin, 30 November 2023 - 19 March 2024

Label TextThis portrait, in an international style, of Sir Charles Kemys-Tynte, MP for Monmouth and subsequently Somerset, displays many of the hallmarks of Frye’s portraiture between 1735 and 1745. These include powder falling from the sitter’s wig onto the shoulder of his coat, a general good cut to the clothing, fine cuffs and broad-leafed foliage. In common with a number of Frye’s mature works, it also features an elaborate architectural background, designed to echo the pose of Kemeys-Tynte himself. Frye, who spent most of his life in England, was also a gifted print maker and a founder of the Bow porcelain factory.