Slouching

This well-drafted and strongly coloured portrait is typical of John Cox Dillman Engleheart’s oeuvre. The unknown sitter has taken a relaxed pose that suggests he and the artist may have been friends. With his hair in ruffled curls, the gentleman wears a navy velvet coat, the artist having created the texture of the soft fabric by using the ‘wet on wet’ technique.

The portrait is neatly signed on the reverse – J D Engleheart / Pinxit / Newman St. / 1811. It is set in the original gold plated frame that is glazed reverse to show the artist’s signature.

Having worked closely with his uncle – George Engleheart – since the age of fourteen, John finally gained his own studio at 88 Newman Street in 1807/8. His technique and style was inevitably influenced by his uncle but independence brought with it a new confidence to paint larger-sized miniatures and to use a bolder palette.

Ivory Exemption Ref.: QFV7KW6R