Oil on canvas, in a rectangular gilt and lacquer frame, 7.2cm by 6.2cm. Circa 1740.
The identity of the young boy with curling blond locks, wearing a white jabot and a red coat, is unknown.
However, it has the appearance of being a study for part of a larger, perhaps group painting.
William Hogarth was initially an engraver. He became a print maker and a fine portrait painter, but he is perhaps best known for his works of pictorial satire, his biting social commentary and criticism in his moral works.
