Thomas Williams

Thomas Williams from 1800 by John Hoppner is a portrait from the artist's mature period documenting a member of the Georgian professional or gentry class. The extensive body of male portraiture in Hoppner's output provides a comprehensive visual record of late Georgian British society. Hoppner's oil handling favored warm flesh tones over silvery grey half-shadows, producing an immediate vivacity that reflected his admiration for Reynolds and Gainsborough.

The gentleman's portrait is executed with Hoppner's characteristic atmospheric breadth, the fluid technique and warm palette creating an image of quiet dignity.