Self-Portrait - Barry, James (Irish painter, printmaker, and lithographer, 1741-1806, active in England) (My University, 2007)
Barry undertook mezzotint late in his career, and this is only one of two works executed by him that are solely in this medium. First developed in the seventeenth century, mezzotint quickly became well-established in England, so much so that it became known as 'la maniere anglaise'. In Barry's day it was almost exclusively a medium reserved for the reproduction of paintings. Mezzotint is a tonal rather than a linear medium and Barry's adoption of it late in his career is a reflection of his increased interest in the depiction of light and shadow. - from the file
Keywords: Art, Irish; Portraits, Irish; Self-Portraits, Irish; Mezzotint engraving; Clothing and Dress Ireland; 19th century