The Blue Boy

Thomas Gainsborough, circa 1770

oil on canvas

177.8 × 112.1 cm

Huntington Library, San Marino, California

The Blue Boy (c. 1770) is an oil painting by Thomas Gainsborough that now resides in the Huntington Library, San Marino, California. The painting itself is on a fairly large canvas for a portrait that measures 48 inches wide by 70 inches tall. Perhaps Gainsborough's most famous work, it is thought to be a portrait of Jonathan Buttall, the son of a wealthy hardware merchant. Gainsborough had originally painted something different on the canvas but then decided to paint the portrait of the blue boy over it. It is a historical costume study as well as a portrait: the youth in his 17th-century apparel is regarded as Gainsborough's homage to Anthony Van Dyck. Download high resolution version (1576x2375, 261 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Battle of Chesma, by Ivan Aivazovsky. ... The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough The Huntington Library is an educational and research institution established by Henry Huntington in San Marino, California, USA. In addition to the library, there is an art collection and botanical gardens. ... Mona Lisa, Oil on wood panel painting by Leonardo da Vinci. ... Self-portrait, painted 1759 Thomas Gainsborough (May 14, 1727 (baptised) – August 2, 1788) was one of the most famous portrait and landscape painters of 18th century Britain. ... The Huntington Library is an educational and research institution established by Henry Huntington in San Marino, California. ... San Marino is a city in Los Angeles County, California, USA. In general, San Marino is a small, upper middle to upper class, well educated community largely populated by professionals and their families. ... Self Portrait With a Sunflower Sir Anthony (Anton) van Dyck (22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish artist who became the leading court painter in England. ...

It is said that Gainsborough painted the portrait mainly to prove to his chief rival Joshua Reynolds that it was possible to use blue as the central color of a portrait. This has been discredited since the rumor began circulating after Gainsborough's death and Reynolds had painted portraits in blue long before. Sir Joshua Reynolds in a self-portrait Colonel Acland and Lord Sydney, The Archers, 1769. ...

The painting was in Jonathan Buttall's possession until he filed for bankruptcy in 1796. It was bought first by the politician John Nesbitt and then, in 1802, by the portrait painter John Hoppner. In about 1809 The Blue Boy entered the collection of the Earl Grosvenor and remained with this descendants until its sale by the second Duke of Westminster to the dealer Joseph Duveen in 1921. In a move that caused a public outcry in Britain, it was then sold on to the American railway pioneer Henry Edwards Huntington for $182,200 (then a record price for any painting). Before its departure to California in 1922, The Blue Boy was briefly put on display at the National Gallery where it was seen by 90,000 people; the Gallery's director Charles Holmes was moved to scrawl "Au revoir" on the back of the painting. John Hoppner (April 4?, 1758 - January 23, 1810), English portrait-painter, was born in Whitechapel. ... The Most Honourable Sir Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster, 2nd Earl Grosvenor KG (March 22, 1767–February 17, 1845) was the son of Richard Grosvenor, 1st Earl Grosvenor. ... The Most Noble Hugh Richard Arthur Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster (a. ... Joseph Duveen (1869 – 1939), later made Baron Duveen of Millbank, was one of the most influential art dealers of all time. ... Henry Edwards Huntington (February 27, 1850 - May 23, 1927) was an American railroad pioneer and art collector. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... The National Gallery from Trafalgar Square The National Gallery is an art gallery in London, located on the north side of Trafalgar Square. ... Sir Charles John Holmes KCVO (1868-1936) was a British painter, art critic and museum director. ...

Appearances in popular culture

• Cole Porter's 1922 song "Blue Boy Blues", lamenting the Blue Boy's fate, was composed shortly after the painting was sold to Huntington.

• In the 1929 Laurel and Hardy short Wrong Again, the pair learn that a reward is being offered for The Blue Boy, which they believe to be not a painting but rather a prize horse at the stable where they work. Hilarity ensues as they attempt to deposit the horse at the home of the painting's wealthy owner.

• In the 1988 comedy film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! the Blue Boy (or a facsimile) hangs in the office of the wealthy villain played by Ricardo Montalbán, where it is eventually destroyed by Leslie Nielsen's bumbling protagonist during a botched break-in attempt.

• In Ghostbusters II (1989), Dr. Janosz Poha exclaims to Peter Venkman, with heavy accent approximated, "Theees eeesn't Gainsborough's Blue Boy, ees Preeence Veego, Ruler of Carpathia and Moldavia!"

• A 1990 Life magazine cover story[1] on the then-recently deceased Jim Henson described a Kermit version of the portrait hanging in the second-floor conference room of the 1928 brownstone that served as Henson's New York City headquarters.

• Reginald Barclay's holodeck recreation of Wesley Crusher saw him dressed as the Blue Boy in the third season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Hollow Pursuits."

• In Die Another Day (2002), James Bond manages to slice through the painting with a sword whilst sparring.

• Blue Boy is an album by Canadian songwriter Ron Sexsmith.

• The Blue Boy is also a painting in Nintendo's Animal Crossing: Wild World.

• In Cinderella III (2007) Gus gus appears dressed as the Blue Boy in a painting in the end credits.

• In issue #4 of Darwyn Cooke's relaunch of Will Eisner's acclaimed comic series The Spirit, the central character is referred to as "Gainsborough" multiple times by supporting character Silk Satin as The Spirit's costume is primary blue.

• In an episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, among Lex Luthor's lost art collection is a painting he describes as Gainsborough's Yellow Boy.

Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter from Indiana. ... See also: 1921 in music, other events of 1922, 1923 in music and the list of years in music. // Events January 24 - Carl Nielsen conducts the premiere of his in Copenhagen. ... See also: 1928 in film 1929 1930 in film 1920s in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events The days of the silent film were numbered. ... Laurel and Hardy, in a promotional still from their 1937 feature film Way Out West. ... Wrong Again is a 1929 short comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy. ... // Michael Jacksons first film was Moonwalker Rain Man, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise Who Framed Roger Rabbit, starring Bob Hoskins Coming to America, starring Eddie Murphy Big, starring Tom Hanks Twins, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito Crocodile Dundee II Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis The Naked Gun... Comedy has a classical meaning (comical theatre) and a popular one (the use of humour with an intent to provoke[[ laughter in general). ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... The Naked Gun is the name of a series of comedy movies starring Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley and OJ Simpson. ... Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán Merino(born November 25, 1920 in Mexico City of Spanish parents), is a television, theatre and film actor. ... Leslie William Nielsen OC (born February 11, 1926) is a Canadian/American actor. ... A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ... Ghostbusters II is the 1989 sequel of Ghostbusters (1984); the sci-fi comedy films are about three parapsychologists and their organization which combats paranormal activities (ghostbusting). Despite a less profitable opening than the original and being overthrown one week later by Batman, it was one of the most successful films... // Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia for $20 million. ... Peter Venkman, Ph. ... Carpathia can refer to various things: RMS Carpathia was a steamship, notable for its role in the rescue of survivors from the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912. ... For other uses of Moldavia or Moldova, see Moldova (disambiguation). ... “LIFE” redirects here. ... Jim Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was the most widely known American puppeteer in modern American television history. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... This article is about the building material and the dwelling. ... New York, NY redirects here. ... Lieutenant Reginald Endicott Barclay III is a recurring character in the Star Trek fictional universe, created by Sally Caves and played by Dwight Schultz. ... Wesley Crusher is a character on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... Hollow Pursuits was the 69th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the 21st episode of the third season. ... Die Another Day is the 20th film in the James Bond series and the fourth and final to star Pierce Brosnan as MI6 agent James Bond. ... This is a list of film-related events in 2002. ... Ron Sexsmith live in Bochum, July 10th, 2004 Ron Sexsmith (born 1964) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from St. ... Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ... Cinderella III is the second direct-to-video sequel to the 1950 Walt Disney animated classic Cinderella, after 2002s Cinderella II: Dreams Come True. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... For the religious or spiritual meaning of The Spirit, see Spirit. ... Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action television series based on the Superman comic books. ... Lex Luthor is a fictional DC Comics supervillain. ... Self-portrait, painted 1759 Thomas Gainsborough (May 14, 1727 (baptised) – August 2, 1788) was one of the most famous portrait and landscape painters of 18th century Britain. ...

References

• Conisbee, Philip. The Ones That Got Away, essay from Saved! 100 Years of the National Art Collection Fund (2003, ed. Richard Verdi). London: Scala
• Conlin, Jonathan (2006). The Nation's Mantelpiece: A history of the National Gallery. London: Pallas Athene
• Tyler, David. Jonathan Buttall in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004). Oxford: Oxford University Press
• http://www.gardenofpraise.com/art39.htm