Portrait of Jonathan Richardson, Jr., the artist's son

1729

Not on view

Richardson was a leading British portraitist who also wrote on connoisseurship and formed an important collection of Old Master drawings. He rarely made preparatory studies for paintings but, in his fifties, began regularly to portray himself and his son in works that suggest an appreciation for drawing as an aesthetic pursuit. Once retired from painting, Richardson continued to make such works daily. This example dates to 1729, when the artist was sixty-four and his subject thirty-eight. Rendered close to life size, the sitter is dressed informally, and his somber features have been described using red, white, and black chalk, with a middle tone established by the paper. The original blue of the sheet has survived in remarkably fine condition.

Artwork Details

Title: Portrait of Jonathan Richardson, Jr., the artist's son
Artist: Jonathan Richardson Sr. (British, London 1667–1745 London)
Sitter: Jonathan Richardson Jr. (British, London 1694–1771 London)
Date: 1729
Medium: Black, red and white chalk on blue laid paper
Dimensions: sheet: 21 5/8 x 13 1/8 in. (55 x 33.3 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Purchase, PECO Foundation Gift, 2012
Object Number: 2012.45
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Jonathan Richardson Sr.

In the same medium

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Man's Head, Jonathan Richardson Sr. British, Red chalk with black chalk indications — Man's Head
Jonathan Richardson Sr.
1728–40

"Royal George" Cello, William Forster British, Spruce, maple, ebony, British — "Royal George" Cello
William Forster
1782

Study of Eleven Heads, Jacques de Gheyn II Netherlandish, Pen and three shades of brown ink with black chalk on laid paper; framing lines in pen and brown ink and graphite — Study of Eleven Heads
Jacques de Gheyn II
late 16th–early 17th century

Alto Recorder, Joseph Bradbury British, Wood, ivory, British — Alto Recorder
Joseph Bradbury
ca. 1700

Portrait of Nicolas Trigault in Chinese Costume, Peter Paul Rubens Flemish, Black, red, and white chalk, blue pastel, and pen and brown and black ink on light brown laid paper — Portrait of Nicolas Trigault in Chinese Costume
Peter Paul Rubens
1617

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