Spotlight: John Singer Sargent's Wertheimer Family Portraits

Wonderful small exhibition/display at Tate Britain of John Singer Sargent’s portraits of the Wertheimer family.

I have since attended a fascinating online talk on these portraits and had partly gone to see them in preparation. Watch this space and I’ll blog the talk too so I’ll try to make this entry a reaction to the pictures themselves.

The paintings were left to the National Gallery by Asher Wertheimer and were being shown together as a standalone group for the first time. With a total of eight portraits this was Sargent’s largest commission and he became friends with the family.

It was a nice touch to show the portrait of Asher’s wife Flora with a bust of her by James Harvard Thomas. It seemed to give more movement to the room.

I think my favourite work was the joint portrait of Ena and Betty in evening dress in their drawings room which included a fabulous, huge vase. I liked the contrasting textures of velvet and satin in their dresses. Particularly charming was a portrait of Hylda, also in evening dress, but she had insisted on being painted in her pince-nez!

I loved spotting the families large, hairy poodle in a couple of pictures.

Closes 24 July 2022

 

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