Augustus John, third Earl of Briston 1768

Thomas Gainsborough made this large portrait of Augustus John, third Earl of Briston, using oil paint on canvas. Gainsborough's loose brushwork gives the Earl a sense of vitality and immediacy. But let's not overlook the material story embedded in those pigments and cloth. The colors themselves, ground from minerals and plants, were costly. The large canvas itself signifies wealth. And think about the layers of labor involved: from the miners extracting raw materials, to the artisans preparing the paints, to the weavers producing the Earl’s fashionable attire. The telescope he holds also embodies the same global networks of production. This wasn't just a likeness; it was a carefully constructed image of power and status, all materially manifest. Gainsborough knew that his skill in rendering these luxurious details was central to his own success as an artist. By considering the materiality of this painting, we start to see the complex interplay of art, labor, and social class in 18th-century Britain.