Attributed to George Morland

Despite the lack of provenance which would firmly attribute this miniature self-portrait, it is near enough in likeness to be a new addition to George Morland’s accepted iconography. The watercolour compares well to the newly discovered self-portrait drawing of Morland aged twelve (1775) and to the later portrait of him by John Raphael Smith (1792).[1]

Shown in profile, the watercolour shows a strong alignment to Morland’s distinctive snub nosed, full lips with deep cupid’s bow and his notably dark eyebrows.

Both of Morland’s parents were artists, so it seemed inevitable that he would follow this path- in fact, he seems to have had little choice in the matter, being held virtual prisoner by his father until his formal apprenticeship began (around the time of the present portrait). As a mark of his maturity, the sitter is shown here wearing his own hair in the guise of a wig – a fashion from which not even teens were exempt. He is clearly presented as a draughtsman – the ponte-crayon held in his hand above a green drawing board. Being shown with a ponte-crayon, typically used for sketching in chalk (the device being a double-ended holder for the ‘crayon’ or chalk) perhaps further emphasises his apprenticeship status, since practicing drawing was a quite common start in that period for those hoping to enter the artist’s profession.[2]

Painted in watercolour, this miniature self-portrait is also quite typical of a juvenile work from an artist of this period. Although scant evidence exists that he continued to paint in this media, both Basil Long and Daphne Foskett who compiled dictionaries of miniaturists note that documents and newspaper articles refer to him as a miniaturist early in his career. Morland’s close contemporaries, such as Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-182) and Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830), began their careers experimenting in this medium.[3]

Morland’s reputation as a dissolute alcoholic has come under scrutiny by art historians in recent years. It is likely that his heavily promoted ‘bohemian’ lifestyle had its roots in carefully managed self-promotion, enlarged upon to draw attention to his work. If the present work is indeed a newly discovered self-portrait, it would fit with the fresh interpretation of Morland as a highly trained, hard-working artist who produced over 4000 works over the course of his life.[4]

Please note that, as a portrait miniature painted on ivory with a surface area of no more than 320 square centimetres, this work is exempt from the ivory ban. This work has been registered by Philip Mould and Company as qualifying as exempt. Please contact laura@philipmould.com if you have any further queries.

Ivory Act: 

This artwork has been registered by Philip Mould and Company as qualifying as exempt from the ivory act. Please contact laura@philipmould.com if you have any further queries.

Ivory registration: JDUVEUUV

[1] Libson Yarker, online exhibition In Studio, Academy and Field: Learning to draw in Britain 1700–1850 2 July–31 August 2020.

[2] See for example Jean Baptiste Siméon Chardin’s The young draughtsman, 1737 (Staatliche Museen, Berlin).

[3] See Sir Thomas Lawrence, Mr and Mrs Grier, graphite on paper, c. 1779-80, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, PGL. 1234/ 1235 and Sir Henry Raeburn, sketches for portrait miniatures, National Gallery of Scotland, graphite on paper, c. 1775-80, D 274 and 275. The supposed portrait miniature self portrait attributed to Morland at Yale Center for British Art (Paul Mellon Collection) (B2001.2.1396) would appear to be a later 19^th century copy, after the oil portrait The Artist in his studio with his man Gibbs, 1802
(Nottingham City Museums & Galleries).

[4] See Nicholas Grindle, ‘George Morland: In the Margins’, in eds. Layla Bloom and Nicholas Grindle, George Morland: Art, Traffic and Society in Late Eighteenth Century England, Leeds, 2015, pp.7-22.