Artwork
Anthony Morris Storer
Anthony Morris Storer is an oil painting by Martin Archer Shee. It dates from 1796 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The portrait depicts Anthony Morris Storer, a British art collector and patron.
The portrait depicts Anthony Morris Storer, a British art collector and patron. Shee’s painting presents Storer seated, holding a document or book and resting an arm on a chair back, signaling his engagement with intellectual or administrative matters. The restrained palette and dignified pose emphasize Storer’s social standing rather than overt allegory, aligning with the conventions of late-eighteenth-century British portraiture that favored individual identity over layered symbolism.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1790, this portrait by Martin Archer Shee is an oil painting on canvas. The work features a substantial format, measuring 238 cm in height and 148 cm in width. Stylistically, the composition incorporates specific props to characterize the sitter, including a document, a book, and a seat.
These elements are integrated into the formal structure of the portrait, which is currently held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Anthony Morris Storer was painted by Martin Archer Shee in 1790, as recorded in the artist’s chronology and confirmed by the Prado’s object file.
The work entered the collection of the Museo del Prado, Madrid, where it remains held. The portrait depicts Storer seated, holding a document and a book, aligning with the documented iconography for this commission.
The portrait of Anthony Morris Storer by Martin Archer Shee is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The work, executed in oil on canvas in 1790, depicts its subject alongside a document, a book, and a seat. While the painting is part of the museum's permanent holdings, the available records do not list a specific inventory or accession number for the piece. Furthermore, no details regarding its exhibition history are provided in the current documentation.
Overview
Martin Archer Shee’s 1796 oil portrait presents a seated gentleman in a dark coat and white cravat, clutching an open red folder filled with papers. Behind him a red, gold‑trimmed chair frames a window that reveals a painted landscape. A table covered with a green cloth holds a stack of books, rolled documents and a small lamp, creating a composed yet scholarly atmosphere.
Context
The painting exemplifies early‑career Shee’s focus on individual portraiture, aligning with the era’s demand for representations of professionals and gentlemen. Its composition, with the subject surrounded by symbols of learning, mirrors contemporary conventions that linked personal identity to intellectual and civic responsibilities.
Artist & collection
Artist
Sir Martin Archer Shee (23 December 1769 – 13 August 1850) was an Irish painter and writer.
