"The book begins by charting the geography and professional tactics of a career that took Gainsbourgh from London to Suffolk, Bath and eventually back to London. Rosenthal looks at such wide-ranging topics as how artists manipulated the press, the issue of likeness in portraiture, how rivalries between painters were handled in public and private, and the pressures of the public exhibition. The second part of the book explores the manifestations of Gainsborugh's aesthetic in portraiture, landscape painting and paintings of sensibility. Rosenthal concludes with a discussion of the problem of defining a role and proper form for the fine arts at a time of rapid social change and innovation."--BOOK JACKET.

In 'Sleuth' we encounter the fascinating dealers, experts, auctioneers and restorers who risk fortunes and reputations to turn overlooked artworks into coveted treasures.

British artist Gainsborough (1727-1788) is "admired for the grandeur of his society portraits and his sumptuous pastoral landscapes." This book by the Senior Tate Curator in London traces the artists's career "from his boyhood in rural Suffolk to the pinnacle of commercial success at the Court of George III."