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Bath museum raises funds to buy Thomas Lawrence painting Bath museum raises funds to buy Thomas Lawrence painting
(7 months later)
A portrait of a handsome, pink-cheeked 18th-century teenager, Arthur Atherley, painted by Thomas Lawrence when he was only three years older than his 19-year-old subject, has been acquired by the Holburne Museum in Bath after an appeal raised £450,000 in less than six months, including more than £60,000 in public donations.A portrait of a handsome, pink-cheeked 18th-century teenager, Arthur Atherley, painted by Thomas Lawrence when he was only three years older than his 19-year-old subject, has been acquired by the Holburne Museum in Bath after an appeal raised £450,000 in less than six months, including more than £60,000 in public donations.
Related: Wright there: Derby artist's sojourn in Bath revisited
Although the museum has a renowned collection of 18th-century portraits, including major works by Thomas Gainsborough, Joseph Wright of Derby, and Allan Ramsay, there was no work by Lawrence even though he lived and worked in Bath for seven years as a young artist.Although the museum has a renowned collection of 18th-century portraits, including major works by Thomas Gainsborough, Joseph Wright of Derby, and Allan Ramsay, there was no work by Lawrence even though he lived and worked in Bath for seven years as a young artist.
The sketch in oils, described by the curator Amina Wright as bewitching, is of the son of a wealthy banker, who had just left Eton. The finished painting helped make Lawrence’s reputation as a society portrait painter when it was exhibited in London. Now in the Los Angeles County Museum, it shows Eton just visible in the background, and Atherley in a scarlet coat instead of the soft green velvet of the sketch.The sketch in oils, described by the curator Amina Wright as bewitching, is of the son of a wealthy banker, who had just left Eton. The finished painting helped make Lawrence’s reputation as a society portrait painter when it was exhibited in London. Now in the Los Angeles County Museum, it shows Eton just visible in the background, and Atherley in a scarlet coat instead of the soft green velvet of the sketch.
Jennifer Scott, the museum director, said the enthusiasm and support for the campaign had been overwhelming. “It is a reflection of both the quality of the painting itself, and the relevance of an outstanding early Lawrence portrait coming to the south-west.”Jennifer Scott, the museum director, said the enthusiasm and support for the campaign had been overwhelming. “It is a reflection of both the quality of the painting itself, and the relevance of an outstanding early Lawrence portrait coming to the south-west.”
The portrait is already on display in the museum, which plans to create an education and events programme around it.The portrait is already on display in the museum, which plans to create an education and events programme around it.