George III and the Duke of York

George III and the Duke of York
George III and the Duke of York
George III and the Duke of York
Tate, London 2014
title=Credit line
Artist
Richard Wilson and Studio
Title
George III and the Duke of York
Date
c.1749 (undated)
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Metric: 101.6 x 127 cm
Imperial: 40 x 50 in.
Accession Number
N01880
Wilson Online Reference
P24B
Exhibited
1878-98 lent to the National Portrait Gallery; 1899-1911 lent to Kensington Palace; 1912 lent to the House of Lords
Provenance
Possibly the picture painted for Dr Thomas Hayter, Bishop of Norwich 1749-61 and tutor to the princes from 1751. Recorded as at Colomendy Hall by the Revd Evan Evans in 1833; bequeathed to the National Gallery by the owners, Richard Garnons (1773-1845) and his sister, Catherine Jones Garnons (d. 1853/54), children of Richard Garnons, brother of Catherine Jones, who had received Wilson at Colomendy, where he died. Their bequest was of 'the Paintings by Wilson in the Mansion House of Colomendy' and was subject to the life-interest of Mrs Richard Garnons (junior). The pictures were received by the National Gallery in 1854 and this painting was transferred to the Tate Gallery in 1955.
Signature/inscription
Unsigned; no inscription
Subject
This painting depicts Prince George, later George III (1738-1820), King of Great Britain and Ireland, and Elector of Hanover, and Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of York and Albany (1739-1767).
Related Prints
E5 John Faber the Younger after Wilson, His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales, The British Museum and other impressions
E5B Andrew Miller after Wilson, His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales, The British Museum
Versions
See 'Links' tab
Related Works by Other Artists
[1] George Knapton, The Family of Frederick, Prince of Wales, 1751, Royal Collection
[2] Pompeo Batoni, Portrait of Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of York and Albany, 1764, Royal Collection and other versions
Critical commentary
A detail but not a replica after P24 and P24A, which show Dr Francis Ayscough with the two princes. P24B differs in size, costume and accessories. Prince George wears the star and ribbon of the Order of the Garter, to which he was appointed on 22 June 1749, the terminus post quem for dating this picture. If it was commissioned by Thomas Hayter, who was Chaplain to the King 1734-49, it might have been in recognition of his consecration as Bishop of Norwich in 1749, or of his appointment as tutor to the princes in succession to Francis Ayscough in 1751. In the latter case it is unlikely to have been painted by Wilson himself, at least in its entirety, as he would have been in Italy.
Previous Cat/Ref Nos
1880
Bibliography
Farington Biographical Note; Edwards 1808, p. 78; The Revd Evan Evans (Ieuan Ial), Y Gwyliedydd, November 1833; Davies 1946, p. 177 under cat. 1889 [sic]; Bury 1947, p. 35; WGC, pp.130, 153-54, pl. 6b; O. Millar, Later Georgian Pictures in the Royal Collection, London, 1969; J. Kerslake, National Portrait Gallery: Early Georgian Portraits, 1977 (41); Solkin 1982, pp. 151-52 under cat. 11
Condition/Conservation
Dimensions framed: 128 x 153.5 cm
Updated by Compiler
2020-04-20 00:00:00