'A Conversation of Virtuosis...at the Kings Arms'
- Artist: Gawen Hamilton
- Date: 1735
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 34 1/2 in. x 43 7/8 in. (876 mm x 1115 mm)
- Portrays: Bernard Baron, Charles Bridgeman, Michael Dahl, James Gibbs, Joseph Goupy, Gawen Hamilton, Hans Hysing, William Kent, Matthew Robinson, John Michael Rysbrack, William Thomas, George Vertue, John Wootton
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
In front of you is Gawen Hamilton’s “A Conversation of Virtuosi at the Kings Arms”, an oil on canvas painted in 1735. The work gathers a dozen London artists in a relaxed setting – faces arranged around a table, hands gesturing, with a dog contentedly sleeping at their feet. Notice the lightly rucked carpet and the shallow depth that pulls your eye to each sitter’s profile. Hamilton himself appears at right, in a cap, watching the scene.
The painting was made for a raffle in 1735; it later went to Joseph Goupy, who then sold it to Prince Frederick of Wales. It captures the early Georgian salon culture and the camaraderie among painters, architects and engravers.
See it in person
'A Conversation of Virtuosis...at the Kings Arms' is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
