Portrait of a gentleman, quarter length, said to be James Boswell (1740-1795) in a grey coat and white jabot, in a half painted ovaloil on canvas75 x 62.5cmProvenance:From the Private Collection of a Fellow of a Cambridge CollegeThe painting is executed in oil on a canvas support which has been lined. The paint layers are in a stable condition. The painting has been extensively restored with overpaint in the sitter’s face and covering most of the background. It seems likely the overpaint is covering areas of wear and abrasion in the thinner passages of paint. The varnish is clear and even.