Johan Joseph Zoffany

This 1761 self-portrait by Johann Zoffany dates from his first year in London, when the German-born painter was establishing himself in the English art world after training in Rome and working in Germany. The self-portrait served as both a professional calling card and a demonstration of his artistic abilities to potential patrons. Zoffany had arrived in London with little English reputation but quickly attracted the attention of David Garrick, the great actor-manager whose theatrical circle introduced him to the aristocratic patrons who would define his career. His ability to paint with Flemish-inspired precision while capturing the animated naturalism valued in British portraiture proved immediately appealing. This early work, held by the National Portrait Gallery, shows the ambitious young painter presenting himself with the confident bearing that his subsequent career would abundantly justify.

The self-portrait reveals Zoffany's confident technique and self-assured presentation as a professional artist, rendered with the same precision he would bring to his commissioned portraits.