Portrait of Dr Richard Price
The Portrait of Dr Richard Price, is an oil on canvas by the American painter Benjamin West from 1784.[1]
| Portrait of Dr Richard Price | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Benjamin West |
| Year | 1784 |
| Dimensions | 71 cm × 94 cm (28 in × 37 in) |
| Location | National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth |
Description
The picture was sold at Christie's on 23 November 2004 and purchased by the Friends of the National Library of Wales.
The picture's dimensions are 28 x 37 inches.
Analysis
Richard Price was a radical and author. The portrait illustrates Price sitting in his office reading a letter from his friend Benjamin Franklin, dated 1784.
Price noted the sitting for this portrait in his diary, which is available today, like the picture itself, in the collection of the National Library of Wales, in Aberystwyth. This is the official portrait; two similar images exist, perhaps studies for this picture: one in Wales' National Museum, and one at the Royal Cymdeithas Hall in London.
The artist
West was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania He travelled and painted many portraits, and has been called "the American Raphael". He died at Newman Street in London, on 11 March 1820. He is buried at Saint Paul's Cathedral.[2]
References
- auctionclub.com; adalwyd 20 Mai 2016
- Knight, Charles, ed. (1858). "West, Benjamin". The English Cyclopædia. Biography – Volume VI. London: Bradbury and Evans.