<i>Thomas Nuthall and his Friend Hambleton Custance</i> c.1748 by Francis Hayman. Oil paint on canvas. Bequeathed by Ernest E. Cook through the Art Fund 1955. Note: Thomas Nuthall (right), with his dog, and his Friend Hambleton Custance (left), holding a bird, after a day's shooting. Catalog description: This ‘conversation piece’ portrait shows two wealthy Norfolk squires resting after a day’s shooting. On the left is Hambleton Custance of Weston, who was about to marry a local heiress; his festive clothes and the bird he holds in his hand pose may refer to this. On the right is Thomas Nuthall, solicitor to the East India Company. He might be shown here as the unsuccessful suitor comforted by his dog; he remained single until he married his friend’s widow in 1757.
Francis Hayman (1708-1776)
1748
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