Jacob Morland of Capplethwaite

Jacob Morland of Capplethwaite from 1763 is an early portrait from Romney's years in the Lake District before he moved to London. The painting reflects the provincial portrait practice that established Romney's reputation before his metropolitan career began, with the solid characterization and warm naturalism that would continue to distinguish his work. Romney established himself as one of the three leading London portraitists of the later eighteenth century alongside Reynolds and Gainsborough, working in oil with a lighter, more silvery palette than Reynolds's warm Old Master tones. His early provincial portraits show the formation of this style, with a directness of observation and economy of means that owed less to grand academic tradition than to the clear-eyed naturalism of the northern English tradition. The National Gallery's holding of this early Morland portrait recognizes the quality of Romney's provincial work and its importance for understanding the development of his mature style before the influences of London and Italy refined his approach.

The solid, straightforward composition and careful characterization reveal the foundations of Romney's portrait style, with less of the fluid elegance of his later London manner.