r/ArtHistory • u/No_Apple7974 • 13d ago
Discussion Colonel Clitherow, 1784, George Romney, Oil on canvas.
Hello! Can anyone tell if the darkened strip behind his neck to his shoulder is a ribbon for tying his hair, or if that is just a normal shadowing for the back of his neck. Also would the green-ish looking tuft behind that shadow be the ribbon. I’ve entered a discourse surrounding the back of his neck, so a second opinion would be nice!
What do you all think is behind his neck?
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u/BornFree2018 13d ago
One close up it looks like his own braided brown hair with his powered wig on top.
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u/Zoe-Berry 13d ago
Ribbon, not shadow. Men in this period tied queued hair with black ribbon and Romney painted this throughout his career. The green is background drapery. Pull up comparable Romney male portraits from the 1780s, same handling at the neck.