John Milton

Name/Title

John Milton

Entry/Object ID

1900.04

Description

Three quarter portrait of an adult man seated in front of a dark background. The man has long reddish hair, wears a large, stiff, white collar, and a russet colored cloak or robe. He has brown eyes and looks out at the viewer with a serious expression on his face. Color palette is warm shades of brown, cream, and red with contrast in the white of the color. The brushwork is loose and shows influence of Anthony van Dyck.

Type of Painting

Easel

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil

Subject

John Milton (1608-1674), English author, poet, and statesman

Subject Person

John Milton

Collection

Permanent

Acquisition

Source (if not Accessioned)

Booth Tarkington

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

William Dobson

Attribution

Attributed to

Date made

circa 1640 - 1645

Time Period

17th Century

Place

Country

England

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription

Location

back of original frame, upper center

Transcription

DOISON "JOHN MILTON"

Material/Technique

Written, Ink

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Portrait

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Picture

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Other Names and Numbers

Notes

collection info says that the work has two PU#

Dimensions

Height

30 in

Width

25 in

Web Links and URLs

Wikipedia

Provenance

Provenance Detail

Source Notes

Role

Information provided by source.

Notes

Possibly Dr. Jonathan Hutchinson Sr. (1828-1913), London {1}; Dr. Johnathan Hutchinson Jr. (1859-1933), London; (Sotheby's, London) June 30, 1926 Lot 90 {2}; (Dr. Carl Tancred Borenius [1885-1948], London); sold July 6, 1926 to (Agnew, London) {3}; sold July 16, 1929 to (Arthur U. Newton Galleries, Boston); sold to (Vose Galleries, Boston); purchased in 1933 by Booth Tarkington (1869-1946), Indianapolis, Indiana; donated to Purdue University after 1944 {4} {1} Dr. Jonathan Hutchinson Sr. operated a small clinical museum at 1 Park Crescent, Regent's Park and along with other interests, lectured broadly on ophthalmology which could have informed an interest in Milton. It is likely the work was originally purchased by the senior Hutchinson and then was inherited by descent to the son. Booth Tarkington mentions the work was in the collection of "Dr. J. Hutchinson of Crescent Park, London," see April 19, 1944 correspondence. {2} Work is illustrated in the the Sotheby's catalogue, Lot 90 {3} Booth Tarkington notes a stamp from Agnew in correspondence from April 19, 1944. Confirmed in stock book as #6590 purchased July 6, 1926 from Dr. Borenius" and sold to "A. U. Newton" - see correspondence with Nikolaus Karlson of Thos. Agnew & Sons Ltd. April 17, 2023. {4} Work likely entered the collection after 1946 despite the accession number suggesting 1900 since it was reproduced in Tarkington's 1939 book "Some Old Portraits" and is listed as a bequest

Copyright

Type of License

None

Notes

Public Domain