FINE ART : PAINTINGS

Title: Arthur, 1st Marquess of Donegall 1739-99 (c.1780)
Object Name: Painting
Maker: Gainsborough, Thomas 1727-1788 (Primary maker)
Gainsborough, Thomas 1727-1788 (artist)
Date Made: 1780 (circa)
1780
1780 (circa)
c. 1780
Description: During the eighteenth century full-length portraits were the most admired and expensive commissions as they posed the greatest artistic challenges. Gainsborough was a highly accomplished landscape painter, as well as a portraitist of great skill and sensitivity, and in this full-length portrait he has introduced a delicate, atmospheric landscape that serves to lighten the formal elegance of the sitter’s pose. Arthur, 1st Marquess of Donegall, was a member of the Chichester family, who had played a major role in the early history of Belfast. Physical Description: Dressed in a green long coat and yellow waistcoat the Marquess of Donegall leans on a cane beside a tree. His arms are folded and he holds a tricorn hat in one hand. Wig and buckle shoes traditional of the period.
Materials: oil on canvas
Catalogue Number: BELUM.U35
Notes: © National Museums NI. Purchased with the aid of a grant from The Art Fund.; A print of this work is also available from our Art UK shop. National Museums NI is a founding partner of Art UK, the online home for every public art collection in the United Kingdom. The Art UK website brings together art from over 3,400 British institutions and shows over 300,000 works by over 50,000 artists.

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