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Notes

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Captain William Wade was Master of Ceremonies at Bath’s Assembly Rooms from 1769 to 1777. As this magnificent portrait makes clear, Wade’s business was fashionable society. He oversaw protocol and the behaviour of people at balls in the Assembly Rooms. Wade’s clothes are fashionable and impressive and his pose, based on Van Dyck, emphasises his height and elegance.

Thomas Gainsborough was based in Bath from 1759 to 1774, where he made a good living painting portraits of wealthy spa visitors. This painting was commissioned by the proprietors of the Assembly Rooms, to go on display there. Gainsborough was keen to take on this commission, as a picture like this, hanging in a high-profile location served as an advertisement for his talents.

Victoria Art Gallery

Bath

Title

Captain William Wade

Date

1771

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 234.3 x W 153 cm

Accession number

BATVG : P : 1988.1

Acquisition method

purchased with the assistance of the National Art Collections Fund and the National Heritage Memorial Fund, 1988; on loan to the Assembly Rooms, Bath

Work type

Painting

Victoria Art Gallery

Bridge Street, Bath, Somerset BA2 4AT England

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Artist or maker

Thomas Gainsborough

1727–1788

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