Portrait of William Linley is an oil on canvas portrait painting by the British artist Thomas Lawrence, from 1788. It depicts William Linley.Levey p.77-78
History and description Lawrence was a young Bath-based society portraitist, just as his career was about to take off.Dulwich Picture Gallery The Linley Family of Bath were well-known musical performers, connected with the theatre. Lawrence was a friend of William Linley who was a year younger than him. The painting may have served as an audition for his bid for a royal commission.Dulwich Picture Gallery George III reputedly joked that Linley needed a haircut.Roberts p.159 Nonetheless, Lawrence was soon afterwards commissioned to paint the King's wife Queen Charlotte. That painting's success at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition led to Lawrence's establishment as a leading society portraitist. Today it is part of the collection at Dulwich Art Gallery in South London.Dulwich Picture Gallery It was given as part of a bequest by the painting's subject along with other works featuring his family.Stourton p.232
References
Bibliography Holmes, Richard. Thomas Lawrence Portraits. National Portrait Gallery, 2010. Levey, Michael. Sir Thomas Lawrence. Yale University Press, 2005. Roberts, Jane. George III and Queen Charlotte: Patronage, Collecting and Court Taste. Royal Collection, 2004. Stourton, James. Great Smaller Museums of Europe. Scala, 2003.