Painting

A 3/4 length portrait of John Gaskin seated in a red-upholstered armchair with wooden frame, positioned at an angle to the front of the picture plane with the sitter's right shoulder outmost. The figure sites with his right leg crossed over his left, with his right elbow on the arm of the chair and his right hand loosely holding a rolled sheet of paper and resting on his leg; his left elbow rests on a green-covered table beside the chair, and his left hand is draped loosely over the end of the chair arm. The subject is wearing a dark topcoat, dark trousers, a white collared shirt with a gold pin, and a white bowtie; he is wearing a gold chain of office with a round pendant medallion and links consisting of other ovoid and cross-shaped medallions. In the lower left foreground is some red drapery, in the upper left background a potion of a dark red drape is visible; the background is dark green-brown; in the lower right is a table with an open book resting on its surface. The painting is signed "W. Sawyer. / 1883" in red paint in the lower left corner.

The painting is housed in a 19th century gilt wood and plaster frame. Plain back edge; foliate bead, plain deep scotia, stepped to top edge; corner cartouches with plain cabochon centres, plain and fluted scrollwork at sides, crown-like outer corner, fluer-de-lis in inner corners, foliate vines at outer edges; foliate centres; leaf and berry motif top edge; decorative strapping on sanded scotia; plain stepped band; foliate bead, plain bevelled sight edge with upper spandrels.