Artwork
Portrait of a Gentleman
Portrait of a Gentleman is an oil painting by the British Romanticist artist William Beechey. It dates from 1798 and is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject is presented without specific attributes that would suggest a particular profession, rank, or moral lesson beyond his status as a gentleman.
The work depicts a single male figure, identified simply as a man in the available records. As a portrait created in 1795 by William Beechey, the painting functions primarily as a representation of this individual subject rather than an allegorical scene. The composition focuses entirely on the man's likeness, with no additional symbolic elements or narrative iconography described in the sources.
The subject is presented without specific attributes that would suggest a particular profession, rank, or moral lesson beyond his status as a gentleman.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1795, this portrait by William Beechey is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 124 cm in height and 101 cm in width. As a formal portrait, the composition focuses on the depiction of a male subject, rendered through the application of oil paint on a textile support.
History & Provenance
The Portrait of a Gentleman was painted in 1795 by William Beechey as an oil on canvas work measuring 124 cm by 101 cm. It entered the collection of the Museo del Prado, where it remains on display. The painting was created as a commissioned portrait and has been documented in the museum's records since its inception on 1795-01-01. Its provenance is traced to the artist's studio and subsequent acquisition by the institution.
Portrait of a Gentleman is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado, where it is catalogued under inventory number P009685. The work, painted by William Beechey in 1795, measures 124 cm by 101 cm and is recorded as an oil on canvas portrait. It has been exhibited in the museum’s European Paintings galleries as part of displays focusing on 18th‑century British portraiture.
Overview
William Beechey’s 1798 oil portrait, titled Portrait of a Gentleman, is part of the collection at the Museo del Prado. Executed during the height of British portraiture in the late eighteenth century, the work exemplifies the Romantic sensibility that was prevalent among British painters of the period.
Context
Beechey worked amid a flourishing British art scene that emphasized individual character and the moral weight of portraiture. The work aligns with contemporary expectations for depicting gentlemen as dignified, educated, and engaged in public or intellectual life.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Sir William Beechey (12 December 1753 – 28 January 1839) was a British portraitist during the golden age of British painting.
- Lawrence Reid Yates
William Eden, First Lord Auckland, M. P.
David Anderson
Portrait of a Man
John Julius Angerstein (1736–1823)
Portrait of a Man Seated in an Armchair (said to be William Fairlie)
John Lloyd-Williams
Matthew Boulton, F.R.S.
William Forsyth (1749–1814)
John Ashe
John Beresford (1738-1805), MP
Adam Rolland of Gask II