John Van der Wall
Thomas Hudson·c. 1745
Historical Context
Thomas Hudson's portrait of John Van der Wall from around 1745 represents the work of the most successful portrait painter in England between the generation of Kneller and the emergence of Reynolds. Hudson, who was Joshua Reynolds' teacher, maintained a busy London practice producing competent, dignified portraits of the English gentry. His straightforward approach to portraiture provided a foundation that Reynolds would transform into something far more ambitious.
Technical Analysis
Hudson's oil-on-canvas portrait demonstrates the solid, workmanlike technique that characterized English portraiture in the mid-18th century. The warm flesh tones and conventional composition reflect the reliable portrait formula that sustained his successful London practice.
Provenance
Probably in the possession of the Cowan family from c. 1800 [according to a letter of May 14, 1969 from William Plomer of Agnew’s to Richard Reed Armstrong, copy in curatorial file, also stating that the Cowans were collateral relations of the Van der Wall family]; Admiral Sir Walter Cowan, Bt., K.C.B., D.S.O., M.V.O. (died 1956) [according to a label on the stretcher]; by descent to his daughter Miss M. Cowan; offered for sale, Sotheby’s, London, November 22, 1967, no. 45, bought in at £400 [the published sales results list the work as having been bought by “Stevenson”, but since it was Miss Cowan’s to sell in 1969 it must have been bought in]; sold by Miss Cowan to Agnew, London, May 14, 1969 [letter dated 19 March, 1993, from Gabriel Naughton to Malcolm Warner in curatorial file]; sold on the same day by Agnew to Richard Reed Amrstrong [letter cited above]; Mr. and Mrs. Richard Reed Armstrong, Chicago, from 1969; given to the Art Institute, 1980.
_-_Samuel_Scott%2C_the_Marine_Painter_-_NG1224_-_National_Gallery.jpg&width=600)
