Henry William Bunbury 1750-1811. Hand coloured etching Circa.1800. Printed on wove paper slight foxing and old mount staining old patch repairs to centre all to no real detriment. 35.3 by 25.1 cms. Sheet. Rare.
A satire on portrait painting: a middle-aged English couple sit together on a dais, each holding a bird in their hand. Their bored son, dressed as Cupid, is seated on a stool in front of them, yawning. They are being painted by an enthusiastic artist wearing spectacles and holding a brush and palette. Traditionally held to be a caricature of Sir Joshua Reynolds at work.
Bunbury was a prolific Illustrator and draughtsman, a contemporary of Rowlandson and Gillray. Like them he was also well-known as a designer of satirical prints. From a landed family, he was educated at Westminster and Cambridge. He was an Honorary exhibitor at the Royal Academy from 1771. Appointed Equerry to Duke of York in 1780; retiring to Keswick in 1799.