Richard Wilkinson, British School Companion Portraits

Richard Wilkinson, British School Companion PortraitsThis utterly charming pair of portraits by artist, Richard Wilkinson, depict a married couple. She wears an off the shoulder black evening dress that tucks in at the middle and opens out into a bell shape. While he wears a black suit with a waistcoat and cravat. The styles match those typically worn in the late 1830s, early 1840s. Both are seated before a landscape, which was probably imagined by the artist or taken from a prop. Her backdrop includes

lost in her thoughts

He spent many years of his adult life in Venice

emerges from Adam’s rib

The engraving is held within a fine contemporary frame

The engraving was published in The Illustrated London News on the 24th of March 1856 along with the following description:

Frame a little tatty with repairs and some losses

1830Provenance: EnglandCondition: Fine craquelure

Medium: Oil on canvasOverall size: 33” x 38” / 83cm x 97cmYear of creation: c

It’s been painted with a great deal of affection and perhaps it’s the artist’s own home

the early morning haze hovering above foliage

Her legs are crossed and she holds her left hand to her face

The painting is signed in the top right and housed within its original frame