Title
Supposed Portrait of Captain John GoreDate1786
MediumWatercolour on ivory
Signedcentre left: M.R.1786
Credit LinePresented, Laurence J. Gore Capron, 2009
Object numberNGI.2009.2
DescriptionThis miniature portrait is by an artist known only by his initials M.R. According to tradition this is a portrait of John Gore, an officer in the British Navy, who accompanied Captain Cook on his expeditions in the South Seas. The miniature is a mourning medallion, created as a means of remembering a loved one after death. The reverse features a woman in classical dress leaning on a funerary urn beside a weeping willow. The elaborate design is created through a combination of finely cut hair, ink and gold insertions.ProvenancePresented, Laurence J. Gore Capron, 2009