Boxing, well known in antiquity, was revived in England in the eighteenth century and afforded entertainment for all classes of society. Humphreys's portrait must have been commissioned by Wilson Braddyll, his manager and promoter, in anticipation of a well-publicized match against Daniel Mendoza, which was to take place on January 9, 1788. The portrait was engraved by John Young in a large folio mezzotint published on January 3. The young boxer is depicted in his defensive stance, on the turf, and wearing breeches, silk stockings, and pumps.

Boxing, which has its origins in antiquity, was revived in England in the eighteenth century and afforded entertainment to all classes of society. A boxing amphitheater opened in London in the Oxford Road in 1743, while the Fives Court in James Street, Haymarket, was patronized in the early nineteenth century by elegant society. George IV himself was a patron of the sport.

Wilson Braddyll, a member of Parliament and a groom of the bedchamber to George IV when the latter was Prince of Wales, was also Richard Humphreys’s manager and promoter. Braddyll must have commissioned the present portrait in 1787, in anticipation of the pugilist’s well-publicized match against Daniel Mendoza, scheduled for January 9, 1788, in Hampshire. The painting was engraved in mezzotint by John Young in a large folio “from the original Picture in the Possession of Wilson Braddyll Esq.r” and was published by Young and Hoppner himself on January 3, six days before the fight [see Images].

Humphreys was called the “gentleman boxer” because of his fine looks, manners, and style. Hoppner has taken account of Humphreys’s signature stance in the ring; the boxer is known to have led with his right hand and stopped with his left, which caused his opponents great confusion. Here he is shown without gloves (not worn at the time) and naked to the waist (highly unusual in eighteenth-century portraiture). Humphreys dressed for his bouts in the flannel trousers, white silk stockings, and pumps with black ribbons that Hoppner depicts here. The broad handling and well-defined silhouette of the painting were perhaps calculated for ease of transfer to a reproductive print, the sale of which doubtless produced significant revenues. The picture reads well but has suffered somewhat: the flesh tones show evidence of having been strongly cleaned, and there is quite a lot of wear and retouching in the background.

When the match was held, Humphreys won what by Mendoza’s account was "a severe contest" [Paul Magriel, ed. The Memoirs of the Life of Daniel Mendoza, London, 1951, p. 32]. A grudge existed between the two men, as Humphreys had sponsored Mendoza at the outset of the younger boxer’s career. Mendoza, the public favorite, triumphed in two later matches. It is said that after Humphreys’s retirement from the ring, he lived for some years as a coal merchant in London.

[2010; adapted from Ref. Baetjer 2009]

Wilson Braddyll, Conishead Priory, Epping Forest (from 1787); Sir Wroth Acland Lethbridge, 4th Baronet, Sandhill Park, Taunton, Somerset (in 1878); sale, Christie's, London, April 6, 1889, no. 103, for £152.5 to Reynolds; Sir John Dugdale Astley, Everley, Marlborough (in 1890); Captain J. C. Dun-Waters, Plaish, South Staffordshire, later Canada (by 1905); Mrs. J. C. Dun-Waters, Vancouver, later Okanagan Mission, British Columbia, Canada (by 1951–53; sold to MMA)

London. Royal Academy of Arts. "Winter Exhibition," 1878, no. 235 (lent by Sir Wroth A. Lethbridge, Bt.).

London. Grosvenor Gallery. "Works of Art Illustrative of and Connected with Sport," 1890, no. 143 (lent by Sir John Astley).

Bordeaux. Galerie des Beaux-Arts. "Profil du Metropolitan Museum of Art de New York: de Ramsès à Picasso," May 15–September 1, 1981, no. 110.

Martigny. Fondation Pierre Gianadda. "The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Chefs-d'œuvre de la peinture européenne," June 23–November 12, 2006, no. 21.

Barcelona. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya. "Grandes maestros de la pintura europea de The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nueva York: De El Greco a Cézanne," December 1, 2006–March 4, 2007, no. 17.

H. P. K. Skipton. John Hoppner. London, 1905, pp. 44–45, 167, dates the picture 1787 and finds the likeness exact; points out that "Hoppner had effective knowledge of the art of self-defense"; notes that he also painted Wilson Braddyll's wife.

William McKay and W[illiam]. Roberts. John Hoppner, R.A. London, 1909, pp. 130–31.

John Gilbert Bohun Lynch. The Prize Ring. London, 1925, page facing pl. ix.

Paul Magriel. "Portraits of the Fancy." Apollo 50 (November 1949), p. 139.

"Collectors' Questions: Portrait of a Boxer." Country Life 109 (May 4, 1951), p. 1364, ill.

Daniel Mendoza. The Memoirs of the Life of Daniel Mendoza. London, 1951, fig. 11 (Young mezzotint).

Theodore Allen Heinrich in The Frederick W. Schumacher Collection. Columbus, 1976, p. 71, observes that the artist attained originality "outside the conventions of society . . . with the remarkable portrait of the prize-fighter Humphreys".

John Wilson. "The Romantics, 1790–1830." The British Portrait, 1660–1960. Woodbridge, England, 1991, pp. 253–54, pl. 244, notes that by its size and date it is unique, remarks on the sitter's undress, suggests that "for all practical purposes it should be discussed in the same context as a Stubbs portrait of a duke's racehorse"; finds that figure and landscape prefigure the romantic notion of man against nature.

John Human Wilson. "The Life and Work of John Hoppner (1758–1810)." PhD diss., Courtauld Institute of Art, London, 1992, vol. 1, pp. 150–51; vol. 2, fig. 23.

Katharine Baetjer. "British Portraits in The Metropolitan Museum of Art." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 57 (Summer 1999), pp. 2, 50–52, ill. (color).

Katharine Baetjer in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Chefs-d'œuvre de la peinture européenne. Exh. cat., Fondation Pierre Gianadda. Martigny, 2006, pp. 124–26, no. 21, ill. (color) [Catalan ed., Barcelona, 2006, pp. 72–73, no. 17, ill. (color)].

Katharine Baetjer. British Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1575–1875. New York, 2009, pp. 180–82, no. 89, ill. (color).

Malcolm Warner. "Books: British Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art." Burlington Magazine 153 (April 2011), p. 257, fig. 55 (color), reviews Ref. Baetjer 2009.

The painting must date to 1787 as it was engraved by John Young in a large folio mezzotint "From the Original Picture in the Possession of Wilson Braddyll Esqr." and published by Hoppner and Young on January 3, 1788. Young's print was later captioned "The Celebrated Boxer who never was Conquered / RICHARD HUMPHREYS. / Who Beat BENTLEY, MARTIN, &c &c. / and MENDOZA the Jew 9:th Jan: 1788 [see John Chaloner Smith, Henry Sotheran & Co., British Mezzotinto Portraits, London, 4 vols., vol. 4, 1883, pp. 1634–35, no. 39]. This was Humphreys's first, victorious contest against Daniel Mendoza (1763–1836); in two subsequent fights, held in May 1789 and in September 1790, Mendoza defeated him [see Ref. Mendoza 1951]. Hoppner's portrait of Humphreys was also engraved by Charles Turner.

The frame is inscribed: J. HOPPNER R. A. RICHD. HUMPHREYS, AGED 25, WHO BEAT WILLM. SMITH, JAMES BENTLEY, SAML. MARTIN and DANL. MENDOZA. This would suggest that Humphreys was born in 1762; however he was reportedly older than his rival, Mendoza, born the previous year.