Portrait of a young boy, half-length, in a brown coat and blue waistcoat; and Portrait of a young girl, half-length, in a blue dress

Thomas Frye moved to London at the age of twenty-five. He is best known today as the founder manager of the Bow Porcelain factory, a post which he accepted in 1744 and for his memorable series of mezzotints that he executed mainly in the 1760s. However, he began his career as a miniaturist and pastellist. The present works are rare examples of the artists early work in pastel, the majority of his pastels relate to his late engravings. Other examples are found in the British Museum such as Girl Holding a Kitten and two studies of an elderly man with a staff. Technically he was one of the most sophisticated Irish draughtsmen, the delicacy of his drawings lends a softness and naturalism to his work. He is one of the few Irish artists who was a considerable influence on his English contemporaries, especially Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1767).