Portrait of a Man Holding a Glass

About this work

Joseph Daniel was the son Nochaniah Daniel of Bridgewater, Somerset, and among the first known Jewish artists of South West England. Joseph’s work has often been confused with that of his brother Abraham, with whom he competed for patronage. Neither commonly used his forename in signature nor in advertisement, possibly with a view to capitalize on the other’s clientele. Little is known about the brothers’ education apart from the fact that they were trained by their mother. Joseph seldom exhibited his miniatures in public. Only in recent years has there been an increased confidence in distinguishing his works from those of Abraham, resulting from the discovery of a handful of miniatures signed with first initials. The primary distinction between their styles is usually cited as Joseph’s greater attention to detail and his use of gray tones in shading. This outstanding miniature dating from the 1780s is unsigned, as was typical of Daniel’s practice. The sitter is conventionally dressed, wearing a powdered wig and a cream-colored cravat and waistcoat under a dark brown frock coat against which the delicacy of the translucent frilled cuffs is especially pronounced. There is evidence…