Seated Model in the Studio (Henry Thomas) depicts Henry
Thomas, a Jamaican-born man who moved to Britain in the 1920s and worked as
Glyn Philpot’s domestic servant and occasional life model. Thomas
lived with the artist at his country house called Baynards Manor, a large mock
Tudor property near Horsham, West Sussex.

This work, which was exhibited widely during and after Philpot’s
lifetime, belongs to a group of paintings made during the final decade of Philpot’s
career. In 1936 and 1937, Philpot painted several full-length and
three-quarter-length depictions of Thomas, which frequently personify him in performative
roles [if we have room in details sheet let's illustrate some e.g. The
Harlequin]. The present work was almost certainly painted from
life and is less staged and more naturalistic by comparison. Thomas is depicted
in Philpot’s studio beside a neat stack of canvases leaning against an easel on
the right-hand side of the picture. The attitude of his body is relaxed but not
entirely natural; the carefully arranged posture suggests both intimacy and
performance, a balance that reflects Philpot’s broader treatment of the male
nude at this date.

The handling of paint is typical of Philpot’s late style.
Rather than rich, painterly surfaces, the canvas is covered with thin, dryly
applied strokes that reveal a priming layer of pale yellow. This lends the
composition a luminous, almost golden quality.