description The Blue Boy Overview
The Blue Boy is an oil portrait painted by Thomas Gainsborough around 1770. It shows a standing youth in an elaborate blue costume modeled on seventeenth-century dress associated with the era of Anthony van Dyck, rather than contemporary eighteenth-century fashion. The sitter's identity remains uncertain, and the painting is held by the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in California.
help The Blue Boy FAQ
Who painted the famous artwork The Blue Boy?
*The Blue Boy* is a world-renowned oil portrait painted by the English artist Thomas Gainsborough around 1770. Gainsborough painted it while he was working in the city of Bath.
Who is the subject of The Blue Boy painting?
The model is widely believed to be Jonathan Buttall, the son of a wealthy hardware merchant and a close friend of Gainsborough. He is depicted wearing a striking blue costume modeled on 17th-century attire associated with the era of Anthony van Dyck.
Why is the boy in Gainsborough's painting wearing a blue costume?
The choice of blue was historically a challenge for artists, as blue pigments were notoriously difficult to work with. Gainsborough painted it largely to prove a point to his rival Joshua Reynolds, who had claimed that warm colors should dominate the foreground of a painting.
Where is The Blue Boy currently displayed?
The painting has been on permanent public display at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California. It was purchased from the Duke of Westminster by American railroad magnate Henry Huntington in 1921.
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