The Reason Why Napoleon Always Hid His Hand

“Statesmanlike”

Joshua Reynolds – Wikimedia Commons

In Jonathan Richardson’s portrait of Horace Walpole, the future politician – who was just a student at the time – depicts him with his left hand out of view, lightly tucked inside his orange waistcoat.

As if signaling the politician’s future, Walpole does indeed appear statesmanlike. Jonathan Richardson’s portrait was significant because it showed that he was the first English artist to be heavily influenced by Ancient Greece.

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