In Tate Britain
Walk Through British Art: 1840
Free entry- Artist
- Unknown artist, Britain
- Medium
- Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- Support: 1283 x 1016 mm
frame: 1385 x 1135 x 73 mm - Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Purchased 1942
- Reference
- N05386
Display caption
The artist who painted this work is unknown, as is the identity of the young man represented here. The sitter’s luxurious jacket and waistcoat are Albanian, but his turban and loose trousers appear to be Turkish or North-African. The picture follows conventions of portraiture, with its focus on the man’s facial features and high-status dress. The combination of different styles, however, suggests that the figure might be intended to represent a fictional character, rather than a real person. At the time, in portraits like this, black people were often depicted dressed in costume and not named.
Gallery label, November 2018
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