Portrait of Jonathan Richardson, Junior, the artist's son

Jonathan Richardson Sr.|Jonathan Richardson Jr.

1729 · Black, red and white chalk on blue laid paper · Drawings and Prints

Richardson was a leading British portraitist who also wrote on connoisseurship and formed an important collection of Old Master drawings. He rarely made preparatory studies for paintings but, in his fifties, began regularly to portray himself and his son in works that suggest an appreciation for drawing as an aesthetic pursuit. Once retired from painting, Richardson continued to make such works daily. This example dates to 1729, when the artist was sixty-four and his subject thirty-eight. Rendered close to life size, the sitter is dressed informally, and his somber features have been described using red, white, and black chalk, with a middle tone established by the paper. The original blue of the sheet has survived in remarkably fine condition.

Artist

Jonathan Richardson Sr.|Jonathan Richardson Jr.

Date

1729

Medium

Black, red and white chalk on blue laid paper

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, PECO Foundation Gift, 2012