George Frederic Watts, Self Portrait, Aged Seventeen, 1834

Portraiture
An unfinished sketch of Watts at 17 where neither the flesh of the face nor his clothing have been extensively painted

George Frederic Watts, Self Portrait Aged Seventeen, 1834, oil on canvas

Watts Gallery Trust
In this early self-portrait GF Watts presents himself as an aspiring Romantic, with an intense look and untamed hair. The picture was probably a private study. It was painted a year before Watts became a student at the Royal Academy Schools, but was not exhibited until much later in the artist's lifetime. A small pencil drawing is just visible through thin layers of paint in the bottom-left corner.

Picture talk

Adopted by Dr John and Sheila Dobson.

Further information for this object:

Gallery Guide Collections Database

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