18th Century Oil Portrait Of A Young Man Attributed To Thomas Hickey

Elegant and sensitively rendered oval portrait of a young man from the 18th century, attributed to Thomas Hickey (c.1741-1824) The young noble guardian, as yet unknown, is fresh-faced with long chestnut locks and a gentle, pleasant expression . He wears a pale green coat with brass buttons and a fitted shirt with a striped waistcoat. This beautiful portrait is presented in its original 18th century carved and gilded oval frame and is ready to hang and enjoy. Thomas Hickey (c. 1741-1824) One of the great adventurers of Irish art history, Thomas Hickey was a popular and successful portrait painter, who practiced portraiture in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Portugal , in India and China, but never achieved acclaim in his native country during his lifetime. He was born in Dublin, the son of a confectioner, and studied drawing and painting at the Dublin Society schools, where he won numerous prizes in his early teens. His early works were largely portraits executed in chalk, but after a study trip to Italy in the early 1760s he began exhibiting a range of oil paintings. Depressed by his inability to gain patrons and develop his art in Dublin, he went to London and became a regular contributor to exhibitions at the Royal Academy. After a short stay in Bath, in 1780 he embarked on a ship to India which was subsequently captured by the French - who were at war with Britain - and Hickey found himself in Lisbon in search of a boat to London. In the meantime, commissions for portraits poured in, forcing him to stay in Portugal for a few years. In 1784, he finally arrived in India, settling in a beautiful district of Calcutta where he remained for 7 years. During this time he painted the portraits of many members of the local English hierarchy and wrote a book entitled "The History of Painting and Sculpture". Returning to England in 1791, he signed on as official portraitist during Lord Macartney's expedition to China (1792-1794), which he followed with a visit to Dublin before returning to India in 1798. During During this second stay in the Orient, Hickey painted an exceptional series of chalk portraits of more than 30 British army officers and numerous Indian soldiers. A famous and witty conversationalist, he settled permanently in Madras where he died at the age of 83. Today he is considered one of the major Irish artists of the 18th century. High resolution images on request. Worldwide shipping available. Canvas: 11" x 9" / 28cm x 23cm. Frame: 14" x 12" / 36cm x 30cm.