Hogarth's Servants
Heads of Six of Hogarth's Servants is an oil-on-canvas painting by William Hogarth from c. 1750-5.[1] Measuring 63 centimetres (25 in) high and 75.5 centimetres (29.7 in) wide, it depicts the heads of six of his domestic servants. It is held by in Tate Britain in London.
This is evidently a late work by Hogarth, demonstrating his mastery of portraiture. The subject matter and composition are unusual, with six studies of heads crammed in a small space, distributed in three groups of two, all lit by a light source at the upper left. Space for a seventh head has been marked out roughly in the lower left corner but it was not completed like the other six. The left edge of the canvas was later cut to frame the six completed heads better, cutting off part of the absent seventh head.
The painting shows three men and three women, of varying ages from youth to maturity, reminiscent of the
The work was not commissioned, but rather painted for Hogarth's own amusement. It may have been hung in Hogarth's studio to demonstrate his ability as a portraitist to his patrons. It was inherited by Hogarth's wife after his death, and left to Mary Lewis in 1789. It was sold at
See also
References and sources
- References
- ISBN 0905005473
- Sources
- Heads of Six of Hogarth's Servants, Tate Gallery
- Hogarth: Art and politics, 1750-1764, Ronald Paulson, James Clarke & Co., 1993, ISBN 0-7188-2854-2, p. 299