plate no. 7098

Portrait of Bryan Edwards half-length in a brown coat seated before a green curtain a view to a Caribbean landscape beyond

oilRococoportraitportraitfigurecoatlandscapecurtainbuilding

recreation guide

This recreation guide addresses the painting of a half-length portrait in the style of Lemuel Francis Abbott, depicting a subject in a brown coat before a green curtain with a Caribbean landscape view. While specific visual details of this particular canvas are not described in the provided sources, the instructions rely on the general Rococo portrait conventions and the specific oil painting techniques documented in the source texts. The work aims to capture the 'inner essence' and character of the sitter rather than mere photographic realism, utilizing a serious, neutral expression where emotion is conveyed primarily through the eyes and eyebrows (Source 4). The composition likely employs a three-quarter view, a standard convention for such portraits, to balance frontal engagement with profile depth (Source 4).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

7 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Raw Umber, White, Black, Ultramarine, Yellow/Red earths)	Primary pigments for underpainting and glazing	Artist-grade oil paints
Charcoal	Initial drawing and shading	Vine charcoal or compressed charcoal
Turpentine	Thinner for initial washes and cleaning	Odorless mineral spirits or turpentine substitute
Linseed Oil or Oil of Copavia	Medium for glazing and scumbling layers	Stand oil or pure linseed oil
Canvas	Support surface	Linen or cotton canvas, primed
Brushes (various sizes)	Application of paint, dry brushing for modeling	Hog bristle and sable brushes
Bread	Erasing charcoal errors	Kneaded eraser or soft bread

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be prepared with a ground suitable for oil painting. While the specific ground for Abbott is not detailed, traditional practice involves a stable base to prevent cracking. The sources emphasize that the medium's vitality is crucial; the surface should not be so slick that it prevents the paint from holding its 'painted symbols' quality, nor so absorbent that it dulls the glazes (Source 6).

underdrawing

Begin by drawing and shading in charcoal. Use a dry brush to model the forms slightly. It is critical to keep the drawing slightly smaller than life size to avoid the illusion of incorrect scale when viewed in a mirror (Source 1). Place the drawing alongside the sitter, on a level with the face, and use a hand-glass to compare the drawing with nature, ensuring accurate proportions before applying paint (Source 1). Make all corrections in the charcoal stage, as charcoal offers little resistance to a brush and can be erased with bread; putting down paint with obvious construction errors is reckless and fatal to lucidity (Source 1).

underpainting

Set the palette with raw umber and a softer white, using turpentine as a thinner. Apply a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) to establish values and forms. This stage should be done with the idea of going over it at least three or four times to ensure structural integrity (Source 1). The goal is to mentally extract red and yellow colors, translating what would be left in nature if those colors were absent, creating a neutral foundation for subsequent glazing (Source 2).

color palette

Raw Umber

Raw Umber pigment

Underpainting and establishing dark values

White

Lead White or Titanium White

Highlights and mixing tints; note that adding white can shift hues toward blue, requiring correction with adjacent colors (Source 7)

Black

Ivory Black or Lamp Black

Deep shadows and mixing shades; note that adding black can shift hues toward green/blue, requiring correction (Source 7)

Ultramarine

Ultramarine Blue

Cool shadows and glazing, as noted in Reynolds' method (Source 2)

Yellow/Red Tones

Yellow Ochre, Red Ochre, or Vermilion

Glazing and scumbling to introduce warmth and flesh tones over the dry grisaille (Source 2)

composition

The composition is a half-length portrait, likely featuring a three-quarter view of the head to engage the viewer while showing depth (Source 4). The subject is seated before a green curtain with a view to a Caribbean landscape beyond. The arrangement should harmonize the inherent colors of the objects (brown coat, green curtain, landscape) while accounting for simultaneous contrast, where the green curtain may influence the perceived tone of the brown coat and the sitter's skin (Source 3). The central visual element is the sitter's face, particularly the eyes, which convey character and moral quality (Source 4).

step by step

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

underdrawing

step 01
Draw the subject in charcoal, keeping the study slightly smaller than life. Use a dry brush to model forms. Compare with the sitter using a hand-glass to check proportions.
Tip — Correct all errors with bread before painting; do not paint over flawed construction.
Charcoal drawing and mirror comparison

underpainting

step 02
Apply a monochrome underpainting using raw umber and white with turpentine. Establish the full range of values without color.
Tip — Plan for multiple passes (3-4 times) to refine the structure.
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Once the grisaille is dry, begin glazing and scumbling. Use oil (or oil of copavia) as a medium. Apply transparent coats of yellow and red tones to tint the engraving-like underpainting.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat; scumbling is semi-opaque. Be aware that scumbling over a darker ground can tend toward coldness (Source 2).
Glazing and Scumbling

refining

step 04
Refine the flesh tones and facial features. Pay close attention to the eyes and eyebrows to convey character, as the mouth should remain relatively neutral (Source 4). Adjust colors considering simultaneous contrast; the green curtain will affect the perceived color of adjacent areas (Source 3).
Tip — Avoid looking at one color for too long to prevent mixed contrast errors, where the eye sees the complementary of the previously viewed color (Source 3).
Simultaneous Contrast adjustment

finishing

step 05
Apply final layers ensuring 'fat over lean'—each layer should contain more oil than the previous to prevent cracking. Use varnish and oil mixed for final glazes if mastery allows (Source 2).
Tip — Ensure the painting retains its quality as 'painted symbols' rather than a deceptive illusion of nature (Source 6).
Fat over Lean

varnishing

step 06
Allow the painting to dry completely (up to two weeks) before applying a final varnish if desired, though the sources focus more on the painting process itself.
Tip — Oil paint dries by oxidation, not evaporation.
Drying and Varnishing

critical techniques

Glazing and Scumbling

Used to build color over a dry monochrome underpainting. Glazing adds transparent color, while scumbling adds semi-opaque texture. This method was practiced by old masters and allows for rich, luminous colors without muddying the underpainting (Source 2).

Simultaneous Contrast

The painter must account for how adjacent colors affect each other. The green curtain will make the brown coat appear warmer or cooler depending on the specific hues, and the skin tones will be influenced by the background. The artist must perceive and imitate these modifications promptly (Source 3).

Fat over Lean

A basic rule of oil painting where each additional layer contains more oil than the layer below. This ensures proper drying and prevents cracking and peeling (Source 8).

common pitfalls

→Painting over errors in the charcoal stage, which leads to a lack of lucidity in the final work (Source 1).
→Ignoring simultaneous contrast, leading to inaccurate color representation where adjacent colors distort the perceived hue of the subject (Source 3).
→Violating the 'fat over lean' rule, causing the paint film to crack and peel over time (Source 8).
→Attempting to create a photographic illusion rather than an expression of character and moral quality, which is the aim of great portraiture (Source 4, Source 6).
→Darkening colors by adding black, which can shift hues toward green or blue, instead of using complementary colors to neutralize and darken (Source 7).

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 details of the Caribbean landscape view are not described in the sources, so the artist must rely on general landscape painting techniques or reference images.
·The exact facial features and expression of Bryan Edwards are not detailed, requiring the artist to interpret 'character and moral quality' based on general portrait conventions.
·Lemuel Francis Abbott's specific palette preferences are not explicitly listed, so the guide relies on general Rococo and Reynolds-influenced practices.
·The exact dimensions of the canvas are not provided, though the guide suggests a scale slightly smaller than life.

grounded in

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

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- PAINTING FROM LIFE — applied to Underdrawing, charcoal correction, and initial underpainting steps
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Glazing, scumbling, and color layering techniques
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Color accuracy and simultaneous contrast adjustments
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of medium and avoiding deceptive illusion

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 Expression, character portrayal, and composition type
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 2 — applied to Fat over lean rule and drying times
Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to Mixing tints and shades without hue shift