William Hogarth, 'The Painter and his Pug', 1745
About the work
Overview
Hogarth’s self portrait is a statement about his professional ambitions. His oval canvas is propped up on books by famous British authors. The curved line on his palette represents the ‘Line of Beauty and Grace’, which he believed underpinned all harmony in art and nature. His casual clothes create a down-to-earth appearance. His pet pug, Trump, alludes to the artist’s own pugnacious character.
This painting was purchased from the collection of Sir John Julius Angerstein to found the National Gallery in 1824. Hogarth’s celebrated series Marriage A-la Mode and Sir David Wilkie’s The Village Holiday also formed part of the original purchase. Hogarth’s The Painter and his Pug and the work by Wilkie were both transferred to the Tate Gallery, Millbank, during the twentieth century.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- The Painter and his Pug
- Artist
- William Hogarth
- Artist dates
- 1697 - 1764
- Date made
- 1745
- Medium and support
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 90 × 69.9 cm
- Inscription summary
- Dated and inscribed
- Acquisition credit
- Tate: Purchased 1824
- Inventory number
- L1356
- Location
- Room 34
- Image copyright
- Tate: Purchased 1824
- Collection
- Main Collection
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
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