Porträt John Hughes (1677-1720)

Portrait of John Hughes. The English poet, essayist and translator is shown here as a chest in profile to the left. He turned his head towards the observer, but he looks past him on the left. He wears a long, curly wig, plus a cloak with Jabot. The portrait is oval. It rests on a base that presents the name of the depicted on its front. John Hughes was a poet who took up patriotic themes and directed his texts to British authority. He was friends with Joseph Addison (BS-III 105), Richard Steele (BS-III 106) and Alexander Pope (BS-III 96). It is possible that Georg Friedrich Händel has set his cantata text “Venus and Adonis.” A star signature is not visible in the leaf. The template comes from the German miniature painter Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723), who created a portrait of the depicted in 1718. This is proved by another sheet of the British Museum in London, which is identical to the present sheet, except for the lettering and signature. It comes from Gerard van der Gucht (1696-1776), a London engraver. It might be that he created the present engraving but did not sign it. He was probably published in the “The Universal Magazine” of 1754, but this could not be verified here. Signature: Engraved for the Universal Magazine. Printed for J. Hinton at the King 's Arms in Paternoster Row. Label: JOHN HUGHES Esq.r. (Stiftung Händel-Haus Halle Foundation)