Edward Penny, RA, 
British 1714-1791-  
Portrait of a gentleman, traditionally identified as...

Edward Penny, RA, 
British 1714-1791-  

Portrait of a gentleman, traditionally identified as Philip Hussey, standing full-length in an interior, wearing a red jacket and waistcoat with gold brocade; 

oil on canvas, 76 x 47.4 cm. 

Provenance: 
Private Collection, UK. 

Note: 
The present work dates to the c.1740s and is typical of the small-scale, full-length portraits which Penny produced towards the beginning of his career. Penny initially studied in London under Thomas Hudson (1701-1779) before travelling to Rome, where he worked under Marco Benefial (1684-1764), and was evidently influenced by both artists' sensitive and highly detailed approach to portraiture. Indeed, despite the diversity of Penny's oeuvre, his portraits are unified by a particularly elegant formality, conveyed by his sitters' dignified postures, and the careful treatment of their dress, evident in the glimmer of the brocade and the soft sheen of the silk stockings worn by the figure in the present work. 

Similar works by Penny include his 'Portrait of an officer of the Cornwall Militia', which sold at Sotheby's, London, 12 April 1995, lot 52 (£31,050), and his portrait of Captain Philip Affleck in the National Maritime Museum in London [BHC2505]. For further comparison, see examples of his portraiture in Ellis Waterhouse, 'Dictionary of British 18th Century Painters in Oils and Crayons', 1981, pp.274-275.  

We are grateful to Hugh Belsey for suggesting the attribution of the present work, and for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.