Portrait of a Gentleman Resting his Chin upon his Left Hand
Primary
Thomas Frye
(Dublin (?), Ireland, circa 1710–London, England, 1762)
NationalityIrish, Europe
Date1760
MediumMezzotint
DimensionsSheet: 20 3/8 × 14 1/2 in. (51.7 × 36.9 cm)
Additional Dimension: 19 13/16 × 13 7/8 in. (50.3 × 35.3 cm)
Additional Dimension: 19 13/16 × 13 7/8 in. (50.3 × 35.3 cm)
Credit LineBlanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, The Teaching Collection of Marvin Vexler, '48, 1998.426
Keywords
Rights Statement
Collection AreaPrints and Drawings
Object number1998.426
On View
Not on viewWhile portraits were the most common subject of British mezzotints, Frye’s studies differ dramatically in their intimate distance, their broadly modulated light, and above all their suggestion of momentary response and psychological nuance. Anonymous but highly individual, Frye’s subjects seem on the one hand to refer to the character studies of the great Venetian painter Piazzetta, and on the other to anticipate Romantic portraits, from the lithographs of Deveria to early photographs. Any of the twelve portraits in any quality of impression is rare. This is a superb impression of one of the most striking male subjects in the series.
Exhibitions
Jean-Pierre Norblin de la Gourdaine
1787
Jacques de Gheyn II
1607