Thomas Estcourt, Esq., 1772
Pompeo Girolamo Batoni
Italian, 1708-1787
Oil on canvas
- Thomas Estcourt was in his twenties when he embarked on a Grand Tour of cultural sites across Europe. His educational experience culminated in Rome, where he commissioned Pompeo Batoni to commemorate this important experience in his life. Batoni often staged his studio portraits of young British aristocrats to suggest the sitter's intellectual accomplishments, reflected here by the inclusion of an antique bust of the Greek poet Homer. Estcourt is elegantly attired in a red velvet suit, his dog by his side, pausing from his reading. He projects confidence, privilege, and wealth, anticipating the respected position he will assume in English society.
Click to Illuminate