Gp Barbier (active In The 18th Century) - Portrait Of John Hookham Frere - London - English

Portrait of John Hookham Frere, 1792

Oil on canvas signed and dated 1792, depicting the British diplomat John Hookham Frere. This refined portrait, executed by the English artist GP Barbier, elegantly illustrates the neoclassical taste of the late 18th century. The model, dressed in a midnight blue coat and white tie, is depicted with great psychological finesse and careful execution, typical of English portraits of this period.

Two old labels are glued to the back of the painting on the stretcher. The first reads: "Rt. Hon. John Hookham Frere: born May 1769 married Eliz. Jemima countess of Errol. 1816. Died Jan.1846. Painted by Barbier in 1792". The second label reads: "Charles comte de Fourier Villers Seigneur de Giremont en Lorraine chevalier de Saint Louis ancien capitaine de cavalerie né 1758".

Dimensions with frame: 95 cm x 81 cm.
Dimensions without frame: 76.5 cm x 64 cm.

The canvas was relined in the 19th century and is presented in a period wooden and gilded stucco frame, in beautiful condition.

About the sitter – John Hookham Frere (1769-1846)

British diplomat and politician, John Hookham Frere was an influential figure of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Educated at Eton and Cambridge, he made a career in the Foreign Office and was successively sent to Portugal and then to Spain. A friend of the future Prime Minister George Canning, he played an important diplomatic role during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1816 he married Elizabeth Jemima, widowed Countess of Erroll. A scholar and humanist, he retired to Malta in 1820, where he devoted himself to translating Greek classics, notably Aristophanes, becoming one of the first English translators of the ancient author. He died in Pietà, on the island, and is buried in the Msida Bastion Cemetery.

Period: 1792
Technique: Oil on relined canvas
Signature: GP Barbier, dated 1792
Frame: Wood and gilded stucco, period
Condition: Very good condition