Resumen de 'A Divine Countenance': Gainsborough's portrait of his nephew rediscovered
The subject of a portrait by Thomas Gainsborough, once thought to be John, Second Viscount Bateman, can now be identified. On the basis of style, the portrait must date from the late 1760s or early 1770s, making it immediately clear that Lord Bateman, who would have been 49 in 1770, cannot be the young man in the image. The painting depicts Gainsborough's nephew, Gainsborough Dupont, who is said to have lived with the painter's family from a young age. This identification might also support the suggestion that Gainsborough's Blue boy depicts Dupont, rather than Jonathan Buttall, as is usually thought.
