Drawings
Self-Portrait
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Cosway portrayed himself several times in both miniatures and drawings in fancy dress, ranging from Elizabethan to Van Dyck dress to more exotic costumes. In this self-portrait, he appears in Spanish clothing. Cosway promoted his image as a dandy and an erudite collector in these fancy dress self-portraits, drawing upon the compositions of the Old Masters in his own collection. This particular self-portrait was engraved in 1788 and widely circulated.
