Portrait of Sir Thomas Baring, 2nd Baronet
1803
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1803
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Portrait of Sir Thomas Baring, 2nd Baronet is a 1803 unspecified by George Engleheart, a British Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A man in a dark coat and white cravat looks straight at you. His powdered hair is tied back, and his face is lit softly from the side. This is Sir Thomas Baring, a banker and future baronet—though when the portrait was painted, he hadn’t yet inherited the title. The artist, Engleheart, was known for tiny, precise miniatures, but this is a larger work, showing Baring’s quiet confidence. To see more portraits like this, look up England, 19th century, mod euro.
Though this portrait has had the title “Portrait of a Man” since 1942 when it entered the museum’s collection, the sitter was identified by previous owners, including Leo Schidlof and Edward Greene, as a member of the famous Baring banking family, of whom G. C. Williamson mentions several members in his biography of George Engleheart. Thomas Baring (1772–1848) was not elevated to the baronetcy until 1810. Thomas was a member of Parliament, partner in the firm Baring Brothers Co. from 1804, and chairman of the London and Southwestern Railroad from 1832 to 1833. Baring Brothers Co. brokered the…
Engleheart also painted miniatures of Baring's wife and elder sons whose names are listed in the artists fee book; he was charging from 12 to 15 guineas for a miniature painting.
Read the full account in the museum source.
George Engleheart (1750–1829) was an English painter of portrait miniatures, and a contemporary of Richard Cosway, John Smart, William Wood, and Richard Crosse.
See the richer artist page
