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Thomas Best (1753-1815)
Percy, Samuel, born 1750 - died 1820 - Enlarge image
Thomas Best (1753-1815)
- Object:
Relief
- Place of origin:
England, Great Britain (made)
- Date:
early 19th century (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Percy, Samuel, born 1750 - died 1820 (maker)
- Materials and Techniques:
Wax
- Credit Line:
Rupert Gunnis Bequest
- Museum number:
A.88-1965
- Gallery location:
In Storage
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, low relief portraits in wax became popular in Britain and they were often exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Society of Artists and elsewhere. Waxes were used in a similar way to prints and medals, in order to disseminate the image of the sitter, or, like miniature paintings or silhouettes as portable mementoes. The waxes were small and portable, and the nature of the material meant that they were extremely naturalistic. Sometimes they were coloured, and extra items added, such as textiles, seed pearls or coloured glass, to increase the life-like appearance of the portrayal.
Thomas Best lived at Park House in Boxley in Kent.
