Bidspirit auction | Love's Prospect: Gainsborough's Byam Family

Love's Prospect: Gainsborough's Byam Family and the eighteenth century marriage portrait - USA, Holburne Museum of Art, 2001. 164 pp., il., 28.5 by 21.6 cm Softcover book in good condition. Ex-Library book. Gainsborough was a really fashionable portrait painter, but very difficult to work with clients. He always thought he knew best, and if a person had a third chin, he would paint it, despite the client's complaints. There was a special trend at that time - to correct portraits. For example, ladies asked to depict in the picture a new hairstyle, when the fashion changed. Unyielding Gainsborough rarely, but still made such concessions. ‘Portrait of the family of George Byam’ originally the artist wrote for the wedding of Byam and depicted on it the bride and groom - a girl with loose hair in a light dress. Then the newlyweds left England for six years, and when they returned, they already had a daughter. And the artist had to complete the picture of the child, to change the image of the woman, who over the years from a bride turned into a mother of the family. So appeared a strict hairstyle and a blue dress, through which still in some places shines a light pink wedding dress. English Edition. Rare to find.