The Blue Boy, 1770

A perceptive study of historical costuming and an adolescent nearing manhood, Thomas Gainsborough’s “The Blue Boy” is his most famous painting. Lauded as a masterpiece during its first exhibition at London’s Royal Academy of Arts, the work portrays Jonathan Butall, the son of one of Gainsborough’s (1727 – 1788) friends. Painted over another incomplete work, the depiction of Butall in 17th-century attire is Gainsborough’s tribute to artist Anthony Van Dyck. The artwork was bought by American railway pioneer Henry Edwards Huntington for a then-record sum of $182,200, and is now displayed in California’s Huntington Art Gallery.

This high-quality art print is expertly produced to capture the vivid color and exceptional detail of the original.