The Blue Boy (Jonathan Buttall) – (Thomas Gainsborough) Previous Next


Artist:

Style: Rococo

Topic: Colour Boys

Technique: Oil

The Blue Boy (c. 1770) is an oil painting by Thomas Gainsborough. Perhaps Gainsborough's most famous work, it is thought to be a portrait of Jonathan Buttall, the son of a wealthy hardware merchant, although this was never proved. It is a historical costume study as well as a portrait: the youth in his 17th-century apparel is regarded as Gainsborough's homage to Anthony Van Dyck, and in particular is very close to Van Dyck's portrait of Charles II as a boy. Gainsborough had already painted something on the canvas before beginning The Blue Boy, which he painted over. The painting itself is on a fairly large canvas for a portrait, measuring 48 inches (1,200 mm) wide by 70 inches (1,800 mm) tall. The portrait now resides in the Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

This artwork is in the public domain.

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This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. However - you may not use this image for commercial purposes and you may not alter the image or remove the watermark.

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