Painting (Oil on Canvas, Framed) of James Short, attributed to Benjamin Wilson, c.1758

Oil painting, portrait of James Short. Frame, unglazed, with shell decoration, appears unsigned. The reverse of the canvas has a black and white photograph stuck to the canvas which shows a detail 'James Short Optician F.R.S'  Possible Latin attribution to Short painted in the top left hand corner of the painting The frame appears to be water gilded with signs of bole and gesso showing through. The reverse of the frame has two copper alloy hanging fittings screwed into the wood, with a later piece of cotton tape for hanging. The stretcher has 7 wooden canvas keys. 10 white metal pins fix the painting into the frame. A previous backing and fixings appear to have been removed.