Johann Christian Bach
- Artist: Thomas Gainsborough
- Date: circa 1776
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 29 3/4 in. x 24 3/8 in. (755 mm x 620 mm) lined
- Portrays: Johann Christian Bach
- 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 stands a quiet oil on canvas by Thomas Gainsborough from about 1776. The portrait shows Johann Christian Bach in modest attire – his hat low, his gaze turned slightly left, hinting at the composer’s thoughtful nature. Gainsborough’s brushwork is gentle and almost impressionistic; he uses soft light to give the face a calm, alive quality. Bach himself chose this painter for his likeness when forming a gallery of famous musicians with Padre Martini in Bologna. The sitter was active in London: by 1764 he taught harpsichord to Queen Charlotte’s court and launched subscription concerts with Karl Abel. This portrait therefore reflects both his musical stature and the friendly patronage that helped him settle in England.
See it in person
Johann Christian Bach 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.
