Sir J. Thorndale
n.d.
Medium
Pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash, over graphite, on cream laid paper
Dimensions
15.4 × 9.8 cm (6 1/8 × 3 7/8 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
83497
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate portrait *Sir J. Thorndale* by James Thornhill, a master of English Baroque art. Created in pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash over graphite on cream laid paper, this intimate 15.4 × 9.8 cm drawing captures the sitter's refined features with elegant precision. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, it exemplifies Thornhill's skill as a draftsman during the early 18th century, a time when he rose to prominence decorating grand spaces like St. Paul's Cathedral and the Painted Hall at Greenwich. Thornhill's technique—starting with lo...