Portrait of a Boy in a Top Hat with Flies

Portrait of a Boy in a Top Hat with Flies at the Victoria and Albert Museum is a work whose unusual title — particularly 'with Flies' — suggests either that insects are depicted in the painting (perhaps on the hat or surrounding the boy) or that this is a genre study of a boy catching flies, a motif associated with childhood mischief and the pleasures of outdoor life. The top hat places the work in the early nineteenth century when that headgear began to replace the tricorne. The V&A's collection of British painting is particularly strong in works that cross the boundary between portraiture and genre, and this work's title suggests precisely that crossover quality. Opie's genre work, less well known than his portraits, shows an interest in informal, observed moments from everyday life.

The combination of portrait and genre elements — a named or nameable boy in informal outdoor activity — requires Opie to integrate his portraiture instincts with genre observation. The top hat provides a strong vertical compositional element. If flies are depicted, they would require precise, miniaturist handling quite different from Opie's usual broad approach, suggesting possible later additions or an unusual technical challenge.