Self-Portrait
- Artist: Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey
- Date: c.1810
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 787 x 641 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the "Self-Portrait" by Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey, a leading early 19th‑century British sculptor famed for his marble busts. In this oil on canvas from around 1810, Chantrey leans over a stack of papers, a candid look that hints at the creative process. Born to a farmer and carpenter, he rose to prominence among royalty, scientists, and industrialists, turning his commissions into a fortune. He invested heavily in the railways and, upon his death, left a legacy that still supports public art purchases through the Chantrey Bequest. The self‑portrait offers a rare glimpse of the artist himself, captured in a relaxed pose that contrasts with the formal marble busts he usually produced. Though modest in size—just under a meter across—the painting’s historical significance is immense, reminding us how a sculptor’s self‑portrait can bridge the gap between his life and the subjects he immortalised.
See it in person
Self-Portrait is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, 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.
