Conversation Piece (Portrait of James Grant of Grant, John Mytton, the Honorable Thomas Robinson, and Thomas Wynne)

Currently not on view

Conversation Piece (Portrait of James Grant of Grant, John Mytton, the Honorable Thomas Robinson, and Thomas Wynne)

1760 or 1761

Nathaniel Dance (English, 1735–1811)

A conversation piece is an informal group portrait, often depicting friends. This is one of four almost identical canvases painted in 1760–61, one for each of the four sitters. With the ruins of the Colosseum plainly visible in the background, the picture records the young men's trip to Rome. Known as the Grand Tour, such travel was a standard part of the education of eighteenth-century English gentlemen.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Conversation Piece (Portrait of James Grant of Grant, John Mytton, the Honorable Thomas Robinson, and Thomas Wynne)

Date:

1760 or 1761

Artist:

Nathaniel Dance (English, 1735–1811)

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

37 7/8 x 48 1/2 inches (96.2 x 123.2 cm) Framed: 45 x 55 1/4 x 2 3/4 inches (114.3 x 140.3 x 7 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Gift of John Howard McFadden, Jr., 1946

Accession Number:

1946-36-1

Geography:

Made in Great Britain, Europe

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Currently not on view