George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) 1756
Oil on canvas | 76.4 x 63.7 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 400960
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This is an oil sketch for Hudson’s famous full length portrait of 1756, painted for Handel’s librettist, Charles Jennens and now in the National Portrait Gallery. Though the sketch represents a near definitive state of the composition there were subsequent changes: the grand staircase in the background to the right was replaced by a balcony open to the sky; the pile of books under the table (suggesting a profusion of previous compositions) was covered by the curtain; a cane was put in the composers right hand (not as inappropriate as you might think, as conductors beat time with their canes at this date); the score open on the table became the Messiah, the most famous work upon which Jennens and Handel collaborated.
Provenance
First recorded in the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace during the reign of Queen Victoria
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Creator(s)
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Medium and techniques
Oil on canvas
Measurements
76.4 x 63.7 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
91.5 x 79.2 x 5.4 cm (frame, external)
Category
Object type(s)