Doe and Hope

Description

The well depicted head and shoulders portrait in rectangular form of a noble gentleman, painted in oils on canvas and in a period beaded gesso frame, the sitter in formal dress and possibly wearing a wig, to a green doublet and silk cravatte, the whole being uncleaned and unrestored and surviving from George III period England.

The portrait remains in completely original attic find condition with no over-painting or attempted restoration and a good deal of character to the surface with some very small flecked losses though with no punctures or repairs, and he has not been cleaned or varnished. Please refer to the photographs for a full visual reference. The frame is of the period and may be the original though one can see a smaller sight mark where he has been framed tighter at once stage.

The wonderful original inscription to the reverse is indecipherable though could be researched further with the right amount of time put in.

The sitter is possibly Elijah Fenton (20 May 1683 – 16 July 1730) who was an English poet, biographer and translator perhaps best known for his collaboration in a translation of the Greek epic poem Odyssey with Alexander Pope and William Broome. After graduating from Cambridge, Fenton became a teacher. The label on the reverse holds the key to identifying the sitter, though he was obviously of high social standing.

A beautiful period portrait, in unmeddled with condition and one that merits further research.