Hanging the head : portraiture and social formation in eighteenth-century England / Marcia Pointon.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pointon, Marcia R.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Portraits--England--History--18th century.

Portraits.

Portraits--Social aspects--England.

Portraits--Social aspects.

History.

England.

Physical Description:

ix, 278 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 29 cm

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Published for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art by Yale University Press, 1993.

Summary:

This handsomely illustrated book discusses portraiture as a cultural and political phenomenon in eighteenth-century England. Marcia Pointon offers detailed historical analyses of portraits by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Hogarth, and others, showing how portraiture of the period provided mechanisms for constructing and accessing a national past and for controlling a present that appeared increasingly unruly.

"A lively and inventive book, offering an unusual perspective on familiar works. The illustrations are magnificent and Pointon provides fascinating information". -- David Nokes, The Spectator

"Impressive ... comprises a fascinating historical analysis and methodological sophistication which maps new ground in the study of portraiture and provides an excellent model for future generations of researchers". -- Shearer West, Times Literary Supplement

"Original and perceptive.... The measure of the importance of this thought-provoking volume is its fresh approach, choosing revealing areas of enquiry to probe eighteenth-century attitudes of mind". -- John Hayes, Art Newspaper

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 263-270) and index.

ISBN:

0300057385

OCLC:

25833442