Richard Cosway
, English, 1742-1821
Title
Self-Portrait in Elizabethan Costume; A Lock of His Hair (on verso)Datec.1790
MediumWatercolour on ivory
Dimensions
7.1 x 5.7 cm
Credit LineBequeathed, Miss M. Grace, 1949
Object numberNGI.3024
DescriptionRichard Cosway was the leading portrait miniaturist of the Regency era and was appointed Painter to the Prince of Wales in 1785. His success lay in his ability to enhance the elegance and natural beauty of his sitters, both male and female. He was a prolific artist, famously being able to undertake up to 12 separate portrait sittings in a day. Known for his love of fashion and self-advertisement, Cosway painted a large number of self-portraits. This idealised image, painted when the artist was in his forties, shows him in fancy dress. Framed in a gold locket set with pearls, the reverse features a lock of his hair. Cosway was a master of the technique of painting on ivory, and his portraits make good use of the inherent luminosity of both the watercolour medium and the support. He tended to enlarge the eyes of the sitter, which make the portraits more flattering, and he incorporated sky-blue backgrounds, often with fluffy clouds, which focus attention on the eyes and head of the subject. A connoisseur and style-setter, Cosway amassed a good collection of Old Master drawings, including sheets by Holbein and Watteau. The Portrait of Francesco II Gonzaga (c.1490s; NGI.2019), attributed to Mantegna, once formed part of his collection.
March 2016