Portrait of Sir Abraham Hume

Portrait of Sir Abraham Hume from around 1800 by Romney depicts the baronet, collector, and connoisseur who was one of the foremost art patrons of his era. Hume's collection of old master paintings was among the finest private collections in England. Romney's oil handling was distinguished by fluid, rapidly applied strokes and an instinctive sense of elegant silhouette, producing portraits of apparent effortlessness that concealed careful preparatory drawing.

The connoisseur is rendered with Romney's characteristic directness, the intelligent features conveying the sitter's cultural authority and discerning taste.