Edward (Clive) Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis III KG, LLD, DCL, MP (1785-1848)
Sir Francis Grant PRA (Kilgraston 1803 - Melton Mowbray 1878)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1845 (exh at RA) - 1848 (engraved)
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
1270 x 1016 mm (50 x 40 in)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Powis Castle and Garden, Powys
NT 1180948
Caption
Edward Herbert was the grandson of Clive of India, though in accordance with his uncle’s will he took the name Herbert in 1807. This was a condition of his inheriting the Powis Castle estates. He was MP for Ludlow between 1806 and 1839, and sat in the House of Lords between 1843 and 1847 where he was successful in his proposal to unite the dioceses of Bangor and St Asaph. This portrait was clearly painted to commemorate this achievement: in his left hand he holds a document inscribed ‘Saint Asaph and Bangor Dioceses A Bill’. The artist, Francis Grant, was renowned for his unaffected approach to male portraiture. The sense of immediacy in this portrait, with no hint of ostentation, epitomises both his style and the character of his sitter.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Edward (Clive) Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis III KG, LLD, DCL, MP (1785-1848) by Sir Francis Grant, PRA (Kilgraston 1803 - Melton Mowbray 1878), 1845. A half-length portrait of the eldest son of Edward, 2nd Lord Clive and grandson of Clive of India, seated, in a dark coat and yellow waistcoat, his right arm resting on a table, and holding the draft of a Parliamentary Bill, inscribed: Saint Asaph and Bangor Dioceses A Bill, in his left hand. There is a red draped curtain in background on the left.
Provenance
Presented to Lucy, Countess of Powis by friends and supporters of her husband, MP for Ludlow. Brought to Powis Castle from Walcot Hall in 1930. Accepted by HM Treasury on 21st March, 1963 in lieu of tax and conveyed to National Trust ownership on 29th November 1963.
Credit line
Powis Castle, The Powis Collection (National Trust)
Makers and roles
Sir Francis Grant PRA (Kilgraston 1803 - Melton Mowbray 1878), publisher
References
Steegman 1957 John Steegman, A Survey of Portraits in Welsh Houses, Vol.I: North Wales, Cardiff, 1957, no. 73, pl.45C