His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales

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His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales
His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales
His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales
The Trustees of the British Museum
title=Credit line
Artist
John Faber the Younger (c.1684-1756) after Wilson
Title
His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales
Date
1751
Medium
Mezzotint
Dimensions
Metric: 327 x 225 mm
Imperial: 12 7/8 x 8 7/8 in.
Accession Number
2010,7081.3300
Wilson Online Reference
E5
Description
Prince George is shown as a boy of 13, half-length standing to the right, looking ahead, with arms thrown outwards. He wears a coat embroidered with flowers, a decorated waistcoat and over these the star and sash of the Garter. His hair is curled and powdered en queue, tied at the nape, and under his left arm he carries a cockaded hat.
Provenance
The Hon. Christopher Lennox-Boyd; acquired 2010 with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Friends of the British Museum, the Art Fund, Mrs Charles Wrightsman, the Michael Marks Charitable Trust and numerous individual donors.
Signature/inscription
Lettered below the image: 'Richd,, Wilson Pinxt,, / J. Faber fecit 1751. / Done from the Original in the Possession of the Revd,, Dr,, Ayscough / His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales. / Born 24 May 1738. / Sold at the Golden Head near the Church Bloomsbury Square'
Versions
See 'Links' tab
Related Paintings
P24 Dr Francis Ayscough with the Prince of Wales and Edward Augustus, Duke of York and Albany, National Portrait Gallery, London
P24A Prince George and Prince Edward Augustus, Sons of Frederick, Prince of Wales, with their Tutor Dr. Francis Ayscough, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, New Haven
P24B Richard Wilson and Studio, George III and the Duke of York, Tate, London
Critical commentary
The original portrait referred to in the lettering has disappeared. Edwards 1808 and Wright 1824 dated both it and the mezzotint to 1751. However, Wilson went to Venice in the autumn of 1750 and it is probable that the portrait was finished before he went. Its putative date may refer to the year when the sitter became Prince of Wales on the death of his father.
Bibliography
Farington Biographical Note; Edwards 1808, pp. 78 & 88; Wright 1824, p. 2; Chaloner Smith, vol. 1, p. 358, cat. 160; WGC, p. 154, pl. 7b
Link to WG Constable Archive Record