Portrait of Edward Richard Gardiner
- Artist: Thomas Gainsborough
- Date: about 1760-8
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the Portrait of Edward Richard Gardiner by Thomas Gainsborough. Created around 1760 to 1768, it's a beautiful example of Gainsborough's portraiture style.
The subject of this painting is Gainsborough's nephew, who was about eight or nine years old at the time it was painted. This portrait has been thought to be paired with another painting of Edward's sister Susan, also around the same age.
Notice how loose and expressive the brushstrokes are in this piece. It shows a clear influence from the Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck. The artist even reused a costume from one of his other paintings, "The Blue Boy", which is now housed at the Huntington Collection in California.
Gainsborough's use of historical costumes not only adds an extra layer to the painting but also highlights his admiration for Van Dyck and other great artists of his time. This work reflects Gainsborough's growing confidence as a painter.
See it in person
Portrait of Edward Richard Gardiner hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, 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.
