Sir William Hamilton

1783-1784

George Romney

Associated Names
George Romney

Artist, British, 1734 - 1802

This painting is a portrait of a man sitting and looking to the right. He has pale skin, deep-set eyes, a long nose, and gray hair styled back with curls above his ears. He wears an outfit including a red coat, cream waistcoat, white shirt, and a pink sash. He has a star-shaped medal on the right side of his jacket. The background is plain and dark.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 76.8 x 65.1 cm (30 1/4 x 25 5/8 in.)
    framed: 95.3 x 82.6 x 6 cm (37 1/2 x 32 1/2 x 2 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1970.17.133

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Noted as given by the sitter in 1789 to his nephew, the Hon. Charles Francis Greville [1749-1809];[1] (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 31 March 1810, no. 41); probably bought on behalf of the Hon. Robert Fulke Greville [1751-1824],[2] brother of Charles Francis Greville; bequest to his wife, Louisa, Countess of Mansfield [d. 1843]; by inheritance to their daughter, Lady Louisa Greville [d. 1883], wife of the Reverend the Hon. Daniel Hatton [1795-1866], rector of Great Weldon and chaplain to the queen; by descent to Nigel Hatton [1859-1937]. (Asher Wertheimer, London), by 1917;[3] sold 1917 to (M. Knoedler & Co., London and New York); purchased 1918 by Andrew W. Mellon, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.; gift by 1937 to his daughter, Ailsa Mellon Bruce [1901-1969), New York; bequest 1970 to NGA.
[1] According to a Knoedler prospectus dated 26 April 1913 given to Andrew Mellon, Sir William gave the portrait to his nephew on 8 May 1789.
[2] Christie's marked copy of the catalogue records no. 41 as bought by "Col. Greville." Robert Fulke's son, also named Robert Fulke, was a captain; possibly he acted as buyer for his father, and was recorded as "Col."
[3] M. Knoedler & Co. records, recorded by The Provenance Index, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, California.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1996

  • Vases and Volcanoes: Sir William Hamilton and His Collection, The British Museum, London, 1996, no. 8, repro.

1998

  • "Designs from Fancy": George Romney's Shakespearean Drawings, The Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C., 1998-1999, no. 11.

2008

  • Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2008-2009, no. 118, repro. (shown only in Washington).

Bibliography

1785

  • Public Advertiser, 13 April 1785.

1904

  • Ward, Humphry and William Roberts. Romney. 2 vols. London, 1904: 1:103; 2:69-70.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 310, repro.

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. New York, 1975: no. 512, color repro.

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 365, no. 510. colo repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 356, repro.

1992

  • Hayes, John. British Paintings of the Sixteenth through Nineteenth Centuries. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1992: 239-240, repro. 239.

Wikidata ID

Q20179274

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