Isaac Whood
, English, 1688-1752
Title
Johnathan Swift (1667-1745), Dean of Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin and SatiristDate1730
MediumGraphite on paper
Dimensions
37.2 x 26.7 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 1907
Object numberNGI.2614
DescriptionIssac Whood was an English portrait painter and copyist based at Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. He was a skilful imitator of Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) and many of his portraits were engraved in mezzotint. Whood shows Swift, the great satirist, in old age. Dressed informally, the larger than life writer appears melancholic and resigned. Swift's close friend and confidant, Esther Johnson, 'Stella', died in 1728 and he had suffered from ill health, in particular bouts of dizziness and deafness, from June 1729.