(Circle of) William Hogarth Art

Circle of William Hogarth (London 1697-1764). Portrait of a gentleman, possibly a self-portrait, half-length, wearing a rich emerald green velvet banyan and cap.c. 1715. This paintin...

This striking young gentleman has been depicted in a brown coat, a white cravat, and a pink waistcoat with elaborate silver detailing. In fashionable circles of this period the wig is worn dressed off the face from temple to temple in a low toupet and is worn in a plait at the back and tied at the nape of the neck (known as a Queue). The principle forms of the queue are: a) the tie (a mere bunch of curls caught together by a small black bow, b) the black bag (as in our portrait) which encloses the back hair in a silk bag and is tied with a large bow at the nape of the neck, c) the plaited queue which could be up to 3 queues, and d) the pigtail, tightly encased in a black ribbon. The Bag Wig is thought to have both protected the jacket from the white powder and kept the hair neat. By tradition the sitter is Henry Harrington. This could be Henry Harrington, residing in Phoenix St, Spitafields, London who in 1777 married Miss Ann Grate at St Leonard Church, Shoreditch, London. William Hogarth was one of the most influential artists of the eighteenth century - he was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic, and editorial cartoonist. He is credited with being the first artist in Europe to create art that represented and expressed a national identity. Born in London, Hogarth was apprenticed to a silver engraver for seven years, moving on to creating his own satirical prints. His series of prints such as 'A Rake's Progress' (1733-1735) had widespread appeal, particularly for the growing ranks of the middle-classes. He studied at the new St Martin’s Academy in 1720 and his fellow students were Joseph Highmore, Arthur Pond...