Portrait of a Man, Seated in Front of a Writing Desk

Sitter Probably Henry Duncombe British

1795–1800

Not on view

In the 1790s Edridge was a proponent of a new type of small-scale full-length portrait drawn in graphite and finished using ink and watercolor washes. This striking example depicts a country gentleman at work in his study; the artist emphasized his bookcase by adding a strip of paper at the top. A small vase near the sitter’s shoulder suggests his love of the outdoors, a rough caricature on the wall introduces a note of humor, and a collapsed hanging scale at upper left hints at the practicalities of running a country estate. An old inscription on the verso of the sheet identifies the sitter as Henry Duncombe (1728–1818), a Yorkshire gentleman who entered Parliament in 1780, voted with the Opposition, and supported the reform efforts of William Pitt the younger

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Portrait of a Man, Seated in Front of a Writing Desk
Artist: Henry Edridge (British, Paddington, Middlesex 1769–1821 London)
Sitter: Probably Henry Duncombe (British, 1728–1818)
Date: 1795–1800
Medium: Watercolor over graphite with touches of gouache (bodycolor)
Dimensions: sheet: 14 x 10 1/16 in. (35.6 x 25.6 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1965
Object Number: 65.646.9
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Henry Edridge

In the same medium

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

The Lake of Zug, Joseph Mallord William Turner British, Watercolor and bodycolor (gouache) with reductive techniques over graphite — The Lake of Zug
Joseph Mallord William Turner
1843

Lindisfarne Castle, Holy Island, Northumberland, Thomas Girtin British, Watercolor and bodycolor (gouache) — Lindisfarne Castle, Holy Island, Northumberland
Thomas Girtin
1796–97

Sabrina, Samuel Palmer British, Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) over graphite, with reductive techniques, shell gold and gum arabic — Sabrina
Samuel Palmer
1856

Lady Lilith, Dante Gabriel Rossetti British, Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) — Lady Lilith
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Henry Treffry Dunn
1867

Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints, Gideon Saint British, Pen and ink, engraving and etching — Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints
Gideon Saint
ca. 1760

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.