Self portrait in profile, 7 October 1732 (graphite on parchment)

Formerly attributed to Jonathan Richardson, the younger (1694-1771) In Richardson’s day gentlemen wore wigs in public, and consequently shaved their heads. Although he often represented himself wearing the soft cap he would habitually have worn at home, here he has chosen to draw his bare head in profile. The profile portrait, such as that found on coins and medals, was closely associated with classical antiquity. Its severely pared-down mode of representation was thought to convey nobility and authority – while still distinctly expressing individual character.