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Lieutenant Colonel Paul Pechell (1724–1800)
Thomas Gainsborough·1747
Historical Context
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Pechell (1724–1800), painted in 1747, is an early portrait from Gainsborough’s formative years in Sudbury and Ipswich, before his move to Bath transformed his career. At just twenty years old, Gainsborough was already demonstrating the confident handling of character and costume that would distinguish his mature portraiture. The military sitter’s uniform provides opportunities for the rendering of fabric and detail that Gainsborough would exploit throughout his career. This early work shows the influence of Dutch and French portrait conventions that Gainsborough absorbed during his training in London under the engraver Hubert Gravelot.
Technical Analysis
The early portrait shows a more detailed, linear style than Gainsborough's mature work, influenced by Francis Hayman and Dutch portraiture. The landscape background, though small, already shows his natural gift for rendering foliage and atmosphere.
Look Closer
- ◆Look at the relatively tight, linear handling compared to Gainsborough's mature work — this early portrait shows the influence of his training with Francis Hayman and his study of Dutch portraiture.
- ◆Notice the landscape background that Gainsborough introduces even in this early work — the countryside visible behind the military sitter already shows his instinct to connect figures to landscape.
- ◆Observe the military uniform — rendered with careful attention to the specific details of the lieutenant colonel's dress, Gainsborough documenting the sitter's rank and status through costume.
- ◆Find the direct, slightly formal quality of the early portrait — before the fluid, atmospheric style of his maturity, Gainsborough's early work has a more careful, deliberate character.
