After Thomas Gainsborough

After Thomas Gainsborough

Portrait of Thomas 'Tom' Sheridan (1775-1817) as a young man

Oil on canvas, oval

45 x 35.5cm; 17¾ x 14in

Provenance:

Private Collection, Tunbridge Wells, for at least 50 years

After an untraced original (see H. Belsey, Thomas Gainsborough, The Portraits, Fancy Pictures and Copies after Old Masters (New Haven and London, 2019), no.815).

Tom Sheridan was the son of very famous parents, both painted by Gainsborough. His father was the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan and his mother was Elizabeth Linley, the soprano known for her great beauty. Before marrying, they caused a scandal by eloping to France in 1772. Tom Sheridan served in the army, was elected an MP, became a theatre manager, and wrote plays.