A young girl with a birds’ nest, William Hoare (1707 – 1792)

Oil on canvas, mounted on board 
58.1 x 45 cm (22 7/8 x 17 3/4 in)

This charming portrait of an unidentified young girl is typical of William Hoare’s later style. Throughout the 1760s and 1770s Hoare’s portraiture evolved towards a softer, more natural manner perhaps resulting from the influence of his friend Thomas Gainsborough.

Young children depicted with a birds’ nest are not uncommon in eighteenth-century British, and especially French painting. A birds’ nest, essentially a good luck symbol, represented the home and was considered an entirely appropriate metaphor, albeit gender-stereotypical, for a pre-pubescent child in the eighteenth century. The nest represents love and the commitment to creating a happy home and the eggs symbolized the renewal of and potential of life.

After his return from an extended trip to Italy which lasted almost a decade from 1728, William Hoare settled in the increasingly prosperous and fashionable city of Bath where the ‘Season’ furnished him with a constant stream of sitters. He flourished there both as an oil painter and as especially as a pastellist, influenced by Rosalba Carriera, until his dominance was challenged by the arrival of Thomas Gainsborough early in 1759. Many of Hoare’s old Roman acquaintances became his patrons and, despite his provincial base, he remained in close touch with the London art world of the mid-eighteenth century. He exhibited at the newly-established Society of Artists from 1761 and in 1769 became a founder member of the Royal Academy at the special request of King George III. 1

1.    For Hoare see Evelyn Newby, ‘The Hoares of Bath’, Bath History, Vol.1 (Gloucester, 1986) pp.90-107 and the same author’s exhibition catalogue, William Hoare of Bath R.A. 1707-1792, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath (November 3 -December 8 1990)

Dimensions

Price on application

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

Condition report