Sir Abraham Elton, 1st Bt MP (1654 - 1727)
Johan Van Diest (1695-1757)
National Trust Inventory Number 624132
| Category |
Paintings |
| Date |
circa 1720 |
| Materials |
Oil on canvas |
| Measurements |
1264 x 1013 mm (49 3/4 x 39 7/8 in ) |
| Place of origin |
|
Amassing huge fortune from the Bristol brass industry and other enterprises, Sir Abraham bought Clevedon Court in 1709.
Summary description
Oil painting on canvas, Sir Abraham Elton, 1st Bt (1654 - 1727) by Johan Van Diest (1695-1757), circa 1720. Lengthy inscription top left: ..... A portrait of Sir Abraham Elton as a stout elderly man, seated, three-quarter-length, turned slightly to the right, gazing at the spectator, his left arm resting on a cushioned table, his left hand on his chest and his gloved right fist on his right knee, in a long full-bottomed wig, and wearing scarlet mayoral robes and a long white stock. A large dark-red drape in the background bears the inscription. He was the second son of Isaac Elton and Elizabeth (?); married Mary Jefferies, daughter of Robert Jefferies As a wealthy Bristol merchant he bought Clevedon Court and land around Clevedon.
Provenance
Purchased from Lady Margaret Ann Elton (1915 – 1995), 1981 with the help of grants from the V&A Purchase Fund and the NHMF
Makers and roles
Johan Van Diest (1695-1757), artist
References
Clevedon Court [The National Trust] revised 1972, 1974, 1977, 1979, p.26.
"From the wall of the Great Hall, facing the gallery, Sir Abraham Elton I looks down with plump satisfaction in his scarlet robes as Mayor Bristol in a portrait by Johann van Diest, who specialised in local notabilities in Bristol and Bath."
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