George Dance RA Portrait of a Boy

An original 1798 graphite drawing, George Dance RA, Portrait of a Boy.

An elegant portrait sketch of a boy in profile by George Dance the Younger RA (1741–1825). The boy is possibly the artist's youngest son, Charles Webb (1785–1844), aged thirteen. A similar, more complete drawing of Dance's older son, George (1778–1813), is in the British Museum (no. 1940,0603.2) dated 1793.

In his youth, George Dance spent six years studying architecture and draughtsmanship in Rome, along with his brother Nathaniel, also an artist, where, amongst others, he met the painter Angelica Kauffman. He went on to be a founder member of the Royal Academy in 1768, and in the 1790s produced many highly finished pencil profile portraits (many in the British Museum and Royal Academy collections), which were published as etchings by William Daniell. A series of seventy-two soft ground etchings by William Daniell, after drawings by Dance of his contemporaries, were issued by Daniell in twelve parts between 1808 and 1814.

As well as being a portraitist, Dance, like his father, had a long and successful career as an architect. His innovative work in the Neo-Classical style played an important role in the careers of several major architects, such as Sir John Soane and Sir Robert Smirke. In 1798 he succeeded Thomas Sandby as professor of architecture at the Royal Academy.

On wove paper laid down on blue laid backing paper.

Provenance: From the Collection of Dr E.M. Brett of Hampstead.