Early 18th Century Portrait of a Gentleman in a Full-Bottomed Wig

Circa 1700–1730 • Oil on Canvas • 24" W x 28.5" H

A striking early Georgian portrait featuring a distinguished gentleman dressed in a sumptuous golden silk coat and wearing the iconic full-bottomed wig of the period. This style of wig — favoured by merchants, magistrates, and members of the rising professional class — helps date the work confidently to the first decades of the 18th century.

Painted in warm ochres and deep, velvety browns, the sitter’s expression is direct yet understated, a hallmark of British portraiture from the early Hanoverian era. Rich texture, soft modelling, and a calm, atmospheric background lend the painting an elegant, time-worn presence that feels perfectly at home in both traditional and modern interiors.

The painting has undergone historic restoration, including several patches and areas of careful inpainting, consistent with its 300-year journey. The surface displays stable craquelure throughout and remains structurally sound. Presented in a later ebonized frame.

A beautifully atmospheric portrait with tremendous decorative appeal — ideal for libraries, hallways, studies, and layered spaces that celebrate character and patina.

Dimensions

• Canvas: 24" W x 28.5" H

• Framed Size: 27.5" W x 32" H

• Medium: Oil on canvas

• Origin: Likely British, circa 1700–1730

Condition Notes

Evidence of historic repairs and patches on reverse. Areas of overpaint consistent with age and restoration. Stable surface with attractive craquelure. Frame is later.

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