Lambe Barry (1704-1768)
Dating
Circa 1759
Material / Technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
75.5 x 63 cm
Object Number
2001.140
Display Status
On display
Description
Lambe Barry was a significant landowner on the Norfolk-Suffolk
border. Gainsborough had painted a small three-quarter length portrait of Barry dressed in hunting gear a few years previous. By comparison, this portrait illustrates how far Gainsborough’s portraiture had advanced since his earlier small-scale portraits. It is more freely painted and gives the impression of a strong likeness. The rosy tints of Barry’s complexion are cleverly reflected in the glow of the horizon.
The commission may have been prompted by the similar portrait of
his cousin, Nathaniel Acton. Around this time, Gainsborough chose to depict himself in the same guise, as a country gentleman.
Credit Line
Purchased with a grant from the National Art Collections Fund, an anonymous donation given through the National Art Collections Fund and the Gainsborough's House Society Development Trust and a grant from Resource/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, August 2001.