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Portrait of Joseph Henry of Straffan
(Baroque Europe )
Batoni was the most sought after portrait painter in 18th-century Rome. Visitors, especially young British men on their Grand Tour of the Continent, wanted to have him paint their portraits. In this example, the young Irishman from County Kildare is leaning on the base of a pillar (suggestive of palatial surroundings), which in its simplicity is characteristic of the neoclassical taste of the period. His relaxed pose, open velvet jacket, and book suggest the casual elegance of a well-read gentleman.
For more information on this portrait, please see Federico Zeri's 1976 catalogue no. 416, pp. 527-528.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [1897 catalogue: no. 771, as school of Charles Le Brun]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1997 | A Family Reunion: The Milltowns. National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin. |
Geographies
Italy, Rome (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Painted surface H: 38 9/16 x W: 28 9/16 in. (98 x 72.5 cm); Stretcher H: 39 1/8 x W: 28 15/16 in. (99.3 x 73.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.1932