How much is a Blue Boy painting worth?

When The Blue Boy was sold to the American railway baron Henry Edwards Huntington in 1922, there was a massive outcry in Britain—many believed the country had lost a national treasure. The painting sold for $778,000 (or about $9.29 million today), making it the most expensive artwork ever sold at the time.

Who painted the picture Blue Boy?

Thomas GainsboroughThe Blue Boy / ArtistThomas Gainsborough RA FRSA was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of the second half of the 18th century. Wikipedia

Why is Gainsborough Blue Boy so famous?

Its prominence in art history is hardly overstated: it was the most expense painting in the world when it sold to American railroad magnate Henry Huntington in 1921, who soon had it shipped to his Southern California estate.

Are Blue Boy Prints valuable?

One hundred years ago, Thomas Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy (1770) became the most expensive painting in the world when American collectors Henry and Arabella Huntington purchased the masterpiece for the then unheard-of sum of $728,000.

Where is The Blue Boy painting now?

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical GardensThe Blue Boy / Location

Who was Jonathan Buttall?

Jonathan Buttall, who sat for Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy, was the son of the artist’s acquaintance, a wealthy hardware merchant. It was the model’s expression of independence and personal significance that attracted the artist. Subsequently, the grown up Jonathan collected Gainsborough’s drawings, they became friends.

What does The Blue Boy painting represent?

The Blue Boy, which is regarded as Gainsborough’s most famous work, is thought to be a portrait of Jonathan Buttle, the son of a wealthy hardware merchant – although this has never been confirmed. Gainsborough believed in using the surrounding backdrop to set the scene for his subjects’ mood and character.

Where is The Blue Boy now?

When did Gainsborough paint The Blue Boy?

1770
Thomas Gainsborough’s (1727–1788) iconic painting first appeared in public in the Royal Academy exhibition of 1770 as A Portrait of a Young Gentleman, where it received high acclaim, and by 1798 it was being called “The Blue Boy”—a nickname that stuck. Henry E.