Daniel Gardner

This vigorously painted oil study of a girl's head is by Daniel Gardner, the society portrait painter who is more widely known for his work in watercolour, pastel and gouache. As a youth Gardner joined the studio of Joshua Reynolds as an assistant to gain experience in oil painting. His oils are influenced by Reynolds, strongly impasted, sometimes somewhat ponderous. His identified paintings in this medium are incredibly rare. Surviving examples, such as his 1797 portrait of William Richardson, Deputy Recorder of Kendal, exhibit a nervous and loose application of paint, as found in this painting.¹ In terms of composition, this work also bears a strong resemblance to his bust-length portraits of sitters, one such example being a gouache of a girl traditionally identified as Mary Chaworth (1786–1831) which was sold at auction in 1987.²

¹ Oil on panel, 60.5 x 53.5 cm.; https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/william-richardson-deputy-recorder-of-kendal-143135

² Pastel and gouache on paper, 24 x 18.7 in. Christie's, London, 24 March 1987, lot 65. We are grateful to Neil Jeffares for drawing our attention to this portrait by Gardner.