Henry Edridge
Portrait miniature of a Lady, possibly a member of the household of King George III, wearing blue and white dress, white frilled bonnet with a blue bow over her powdered hair, 1790
Watercolour on ivory
Oval, 1 ¾ in (45 mm) high
Philip Mould & Co.
To view all current artworks for sale visit philipmould.com Henry Edridge was born in Paddington (then Middlesex) to a London tradesman (also Henry) and his wife Sarah. At the...
To view all current artworks for sale visit philipmould.com
Henry Edridge was born in Paddington (then Middlesex) to a London tradesman (also Henry) and his wife Sarah. At the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to the mezzotint engraver William Pether. This apprenticeship influenced his work throughout his career, particularly in his drawings where he displayed a painstaking attention to detail. Pether also painted portrait miniatures and introduced his young apprentice to this craft.
This portrait dates from the first year of Edridge’s independent practice, as he set up his studio in 1789. During the formative years of his career he painted miniatures on a conventional size ivory, small enough to be worn. From 1789, he struck up a friendship with the watercolourist Thomas Hearne and through his contacts joined an official drawing school working alongside J.M.W. Turner and Thomas Girtin. During the later 1790s and early 1800s he perfected his larger portrait drawings. An accomplished draughtsman, he was contracted in 1802-03 to produce a series of drawings of the Princesses at Windsor, for presentation by them to the Queen. As Farington noted in his diary, ‘He is now established at the Equerry’s table’.
Signed works by Edridge are rare, with his initials or monogram found more usually on his earlier works.
Henry Edridge was born in Paddington (then Middlesex) to a London tradesman (also Henry) and his wife Sarah. At the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to the mezzotint engraver William Pether. This apprenticeship influenced his work throughout his career, particularly in his drawings where he displayed a painstaking attention to detail. Pether also painted portrait miniatures and introduced his young apprentice to this craft.
This portrait dates from the first year of Edridge’s independent practice, as he set up his studio in 1789. During the formative years of his career he painted miniatures on a conventional size ivory, small enough to be worn. From 1789, he struck up a friendship with the watercolourist Thomas Hearne and through his contacts joined an official drawing school working alongside J.M.W. Turner and Thomas Girtin. During the later 1790s and early 1800s he perfected his larger portrait drawings. An accomplished draughtsman, he was contracted in 1802-03 to produce a series of drawings of the Princesses at Windsor, for presentation by them to the Queen. As Farington noted in his diary, ‘He is now established at the Equerry’s table’.
Signed works by Edridge are rare, with his initials or monogram found more usually on his earlier works.