A Brush with Fashion : 500 Years of Male Portraiture

Fascinating exhibition at Philip Mould & Company of male portraits which say something about how clothing communicates masculinity.

The show was designed to compliment the current menswear exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum and looked at clothing as signifiers as well as how painting clothing became a means of painterly expression. As always at this gallery the commentaries were excellent bringing these points out subtly.

There were some lovely pictures covering about 400 years. I liked the inclusion of Sir John Norris in armour making the point that armour was as fashion conscious as clothing. At the other end of the timescale I loved Walter Greaves portrait of James Abbott McNeil Whistler sitting with his back to the Thames in a fetching hat and white waistcoat.

My favourites though were this delightful group of portraits of the Ffolliott brothers from 1603. They wear matching doublets but shows each with the attributes of their age at the time.

Closed 20 May 2022

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