William Evelyn of St Clere, Kent, Holding a Spaniel

Hugh Douglas Hamilton|William Evelyn

ca. 1768–89 · Pastel · Drawings and Prints

Hamilton belonged to a group of accomplished pastellists trained at the Dublin Society School of Drawing, run by Robert West (ca. 1720–1790) and James Mannin (active 1746–79). The artist moved to London around 1764 and worked from a Pall Mall address in London’s fashionable West End. His patrons included members of the royal family and grandees such as the Duke of Northumberland, with his success indicated by the fact that he typically charged nine guineas for a small pastel. In 1779 Hamilton moved to Italy and adopted a neo-classical style, so the present work represents his English career. It is a charming depiction of a boy aged four or five, the son of a Member of Parliament for Hythe in Kent, and thus a substantial figure in society. The sitter's youth is emphasized by the easy pose and tousled hair, a conception that reflects a newly fashionable “natural” approach to child-rearing. The attitude of the spaniel’s head indicates an affectionate intimacy between Evelyn and his pet, and Hamilton brilliantly and unassumingly captured the new mood of freedom in this small portrait, aided by the medium of pastel that allowed him to work at speed.

Artist

Hugh Douglas Hamilton|William Evelyn

Date

ca. 1768–89

Medium

Pastel

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Brooke Russell Astor Bequest, 2013