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Thornton RippingilleThornton Rippingille, Portrait Of The Inventor Thomas Dunn, Oil Painting 1857
1857
About the Item
This mid-19th-century oil painting by English artist Thornton Rippingille (1830-1863) depicts the inventor Thomas Dunn.
Dunn was a remarkable Lancastrian who pioneered new technologies relating to Victorian railway turntables. Here, in around 1857, he’s celebrating the fruits of his labour. On his left, a pile of numerous successfully filed patents are held in place by a large chain link. Railway turntables were circular devices that turned rolling stock in different directions, so the chain is presumably part of his adjusted methodology.
The portrait is one of several probably commissioned by Bennet Woodcroft to record the industrial luminaries of his day and it was shown at the ‘Museum of the Commissioners of Patents at South Kensington’. Other portraits of this nature are held at the Science Museum in London.
Held within a handsome gilt frame.
Labels & Inscriptions: Inscribed on reverse with the name of the artist and sitter. Presumably copied across from the reverse of the canvas prior to laying on board. The date on the reverse states 1837, which is incorrect as it was produced in 1857.
Provenance: Private collection, Sweden.
- Creator:Thornton Rippingille (1830 - 1863, British, English)
- Creation Year:1857
- Dimensions:Height: 52.5 in (133.35 cm)Width: 42.5 in (107.95 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:Artwork presents well. Fine craquelure but the paint is stable. Frame with some light wear.
- Gallery Location:Cheltenham, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2328213264422
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- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Cheltenham, United Kingdom
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