Thomas Lawrence Portraits

Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) was the leading portraitist of the Regency period. His skill and flair as an artist catapulted him from humble beginnings as a child prodigy sketching the likenesses of customers at his father's Bristol inn to being feted in the royal palaces of Europe. Upon Lawrence's arrival in London, Sir Joshua Reynolds declared that he would accomplish 'all that I have failed to achieve'. This uniquely accessible and indispensible guide to Lawrence presents 30 of his best paintings and drawings from international collections, including Queen Charlotte (consort of George III), Princess Sophia (daughter of George III), the actor John Philip Kemble in character, Mirza Abul Hasan (Persian envoy to Britain), Pope Pius VII and a recently discovered early self-portrait.
This publication has been generously assisted and includes research from the Thomas Lawrence: Regency Power and Brilliance exhibition curators - Cassandra Albinson, Associate Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Peter Funnell, Curator of Nineteenth-Century Portraits and Head of Research Programmes at the National Portrait Gallery, London and Lucy Peltz, Curator of Eighteenth-Century Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery, London. An informative book that will appeal to readers interested in art history and the Regency period, as well as anyone wanting to learn more about a remarkable British artist who deserves to be much better known. National Portrait Gallery exhibition runs from 21 October 2010 to 23 January 2011.