Fine George II Ink and Wash Drawing of David Garrick on Stage
A fine George II ink and wash drawing of David Garrick on stage, shown standing in an interior, half-turned from the viewer, perhaps as the gullible Abel Drugger in a scene from Ben Jonson’s The Alchemist, first performed by Garrick in the mid 1740s; mounted and framed. A very finished sketch, rather in the manner of Sir Joshua Reynolds, perhaps an idea for a full-length portrait.
David Garrick, 1716-1779, was the most lauded British actor of the middle years of the 18th century. He was often painted, both in and out of his roles, most famously by William Hogarth (1697-1764), Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), and Johann Zoffany (1733-1810). He introduced a more natural style to stage performances. This is possibly a sketch for an intended full-length portrait, very much in the manner of Sir Joshua Reynolds
