plate no. 7909

Admiral Robert Roddam

oilRococoportraitportraitfiguremanclothinghairhistorical

recreation guide

This recreation guide addresses Lemuel Francis Abbott’s portrait of Admiral Robert Roddam. Abbott was a prominent British portraitist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, working in a style that bridged the transition from Rococo elegance to the more serious, character-driven portraiture associated with Sir Joshua Reynolds and the Royal Academy. While the specific visual details of this particular painting (such as the exact naval uniform insignia or background elements) are not described in the provided sources, the guide relies on the documented practices of oil painting from this era. The approach emphasizes the 'old master' technique of building form through a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) followed by transparent glazes and semi-opaque scumbles, a method explicitly endorsed by Reynolds and practiced by artists of Abbott’s generation to achieve depth and luminosity without muddying the colors.

estimated time

40-60 hours over 6-8 weeks (allowing for drying times between glaze layers)

materials

6 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Linseed oil	Primary medium for mixing paints and glazes; essential for the 'fat over lean' rule.	Refined linseed oil
Oil of Copavia (or modern substitute like Galkyd)	Historical medium used by Reynolds and likely Abbott for initial layers to ensure proper drying and flow.	Galkyd or Liquin (alkyd medium)
Mineral Spirits / Turpentine	Solvent for thinning initial washes and cleaning brushes.	Odorless mineral spirits
Ultramarine, Black, White	Core pigments for the initial grisaille (monochrome) underpainting, as cited in Reynolds' method.	Ultramarine Blue, Ivory Black, Titanium White
Red and Yellow Earth tones (Vermilion, Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna)	For glazing and scumbling flesh tones and uniform details, extracted mentally from the grisaille.	Standard cadmium or earth pigments
Canvas or Panel	Support surface.	Linen canvas primed with gesso

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a rigid support (panel or stretched canvas) with a white or light-toned ground. While specific priming recipes for Abbott are not in the sources, the tradition of the period involved a smooth, absorbent ground to allow the initial thin washes to adhere. Ensure the surface is dry and free of dust before beginning the underdrawing.

underdrawing

Sketch the composition using charcoal or thinned paint. Traditional oil painting techniques often begin with this step to establish proportions and pose (Source 5). For a portrait, focus on the 'three-quarter view' or 'half-length' composition typical of the genre, ensuring the likeness captures the 'inner essence' or character of the subject rather than just a literal snapshot (Source 3).

underpainting

Create a grisaille (monochrome underpainting) using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia or a similar medium (Source 1). This layer establishes the values (light and shadow) of the portrait. The artist must mentally extract the red and yellow colors, translating what would be left in nature if those colors were not present (Source 1). This step is crucial for building the form before adding color.

color palette

Ultramarine/Black/White

Ultramarine blue, Ivory black, White lead/titanium

Grisaille underpainting to establish form and value.

Red/Yellow Tones

Vermilion, Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna

Glazing and scumbling over the grisaille to create flesh tones and uniform colors.

Neutral Grays

Black and White

Backgrounds and shadows, allowing the colored glazes to remain vibrant.

composition

While the specific layout of Admiral Roddam is not detailed in the sources, portrait painting of this era typically aimed to show the 'inner essence' or 'character and moral quality' of the subject (Source 3). The composition likely features a half-length or three-quarter view, with the subject’s expression conveyed through the eyes and eyebrows, as the mouth is often kept neutral or serious (Source 3). The arrangement should avoid 'smallness' or over-modeling, aiming for broad masses that define the figure clearly (Source 2).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the Admiral’s pose and facial structure using charcoal or thinned paint. Focus on capturing the character and likeness, ensuring the eyes and eyebrows convey the appropriate expression.
Tip — Avoid getting tied down to the outline; keep lines loose to allow for adjustment.
Initial Sketch

underpainting

step 02
Mix black, ultramarine, and white with oil of copavia (or modern equivalent). Paint the entire portrait in monochrome, establishing all light and shadow values. This is the grisaille stage.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors; paint only what remains if those colors were absent.
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Once the grisaille is completely dry, begin glazing. Apply thin, transparent coats of red and yellow tones over the underpainting. This mimics tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Tip — Use oil as a medium initially. Ensure each layer is transparent to let the underlying values show through.
Glazing

refining

step 04
Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) to adjust highlights and cool tones. Scumbling over darker grounds can create a 'grey bloom' or coldness, useful for shadows or background elements.
Tip — Watch for the underlying painting making itself felt through the semi-opaque layer.
Scumbling

finishing

step 05
Continue layering glazes and scumbles, adhering to the 'fat over lean' rule. Each additional layer should contain more oil than the previous one to prevent cracking.
Tip — Do not rush drying times. Oil paint dries by oxidation, taking up to two weeks to dry to the touch.
Fat over Lean

varnishing

step 06
After the painting is fully cured, apply a varnish to protect the surface and unify the sheen. This step was common in old master practices to enhance depth.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry before varnishing to avoid trapping solvents.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Glazing and Scumbling

Used to build color and luminosity over a monochrome underpainting. Glazing adds transparent color, while scumbling adds semi-opaque texture. This method was practiced by old masters and Reynolds to achieve depth without muddying colors.

Fat over Lean

A fundamental rule of oil painting where each successive layer contains more oil than the one below it. This ensures proper drying and prevents cracking.

Character Portraiture

Focusing on the 'inner essence' and 'moral quality' of the subject, particularly through the eyes and eyebrows, rather than just physical likeness.

common pitfalls

→Applying thick paint over thin paint (violating 'fat over lean'), which leads to cracking and peeling (Source 5).
→Muddying colors by mixing too many pigments on the palette instead of using glazes to build color over the grisaille (Source 1).
→Over-modeling or becoming too 'tied down to the outline,' resulting in a small, timid appearance rather than broad, confident masses (Source 2).
→Ignoring the drying time of oil paint, which dries by oxidation and can take weeks to fully cure (Source 5).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific visual details of Admiral Robert Roddam’s uniform, background, and pose are not described in the sources and must be referenced from the original artwork or historical records.
·Lemuel Francis Abbott’s specific personal palette preferences are not detailed; the guide relies on the general practices of Reynolds and the era.
·The exact year of the painting is not available, so period-specific material variations cannot be precisely pinpointed.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Grisaille underpainting, glazing, and scumbling techniques.
- ON COPYING — applied to Advice on avoiding over-modeling and focusing on broad masses.

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia: Portrait painting↗
- Portrait painting — part 2 — applied to Focus on character, expression through eyes/eyebrows, and composition types.
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 2 — applied to Fat over lean rule, drying times, and initial sketching methods.

Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.

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