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Notes
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When the portrait was acquired in 1948 it was described as an unidentified naval officer by Gainsborough. It was subsequently re-attributed to Gainsborough Dupont, Gainsborough’s nephew, studio assistant and painter in his own right. In 2005 the officer was identified as Charles Phipps, the fourth son of Constantine Phipps and brother of Constantine John Phipps, Baron Mulgrave, a naval officer and politician. It was originally painted on paper board (made of compressed sheets of good quality paper). Later, perhaps in the early twentieth century, this was stuck onto a canvas stretcher using water-based glue. This process caused considerable damage to the board and to the paint surface. Probably at this point much of the background paint was scraped off, and the whole portrait heavily overpainted to create a more acceptable image.
Title
Captain the Honourable Charles Phipps (1753–1786)
Date
c.1785
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 51 x W 38 cm
Accession number
BHC3111
Work type
Painting
