Sir Harry Fetherstonhaugh, 2nd Bt MP (1754-1846) as a Boy

This charming portrait of the young Harry Fetherstonhaugh, painted in 1769, shows the future 2nd Baronet as a boy anticipating the wealthy sporting life he would lead at Uppark, his Sussex estate. Fetherstonhaugh would become notorious in the 1780s for his relationship with Emma Hart (later Emma Hamilton and Nelson's mistress), whom he installed at Uppark before dismissing her when she became pregnant. At age fifteen, when this portrait was painted, none of this lay in his future, and Dance captures the casual confidence of a boy who knows he will inherit a significant estate. Child portraits by Dance are relatively rare, making this an interesting document of his range.

The lighter palette and looser handling distinguish this boyhood portrait from Dance's more formal adult commissions, with the youthful subject treated with a freshness and directness that reveals Dance's skill beyond the conventions of Grand Manner portraiture.