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Notes

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The portrait has been called a ‘shipwright of the time of Queen Anne’ because the sitter is holding a drawing of a ship. However, this is not a ship’s draught but a drawing, such as one made by the van de Veldes, and the date of the ship depicted is perhaps of the 1670s. She appears to be flying the pre-1707 ensign. This suggests the possibility that the sitter is a marine artist who may have owned such drawings to assist him in his work. He is well dressed and wears a brown coat with gold buttons, and a wig. The portrait has something of the feeling of a self portrait.

National Maritime Museum

London

Title

Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman

Date

c.1720

Medium

oil on copper

Measurements

H 25 x W 19.5 cm

Accession number

BHC3158

Work type

Painting

National Maritime Museum

Romney Road, Greenwich, London, Greater London SE10 9NF England

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Artist or maker

British School

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