The Sculptor Joseph Wilton with His Wife and Daughter

Francis Hayman's portrait of the sculptor Joseph Wilton with his wife and daughter from around 1760 documents one of the most important British sculptors of the 18th century. Wilton created the state coach still used for coronations and was keeper of the Royal Academy. Hayman, a founding member of the Royal Academy, was one of the leading English history and portrait painters of the mid-18th century.

Hayman's oil on canvas shows his accomplished portrait style with warm, natural lighting, careful rendering of family relationships through pose and gesture, and the informal domestic setting characteristic of the English conversation piece.