Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive of Plassey 'Clive of India', KB, FRS, DCL, MP (1725-1774)
studio of Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, RA (London 1735 - Winchester 1811)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
circa 1770
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 1181066
Caption
This portrait of Robert Clive is derived from Nathaniel Dance-Holland’s full length picture which hangs in Powis Castle. It shows him wearing military uniform, adorned with the ribbon of the Order of the Bath – an honour which he received in 1764. The Indian curiosities amassed by Robert Clive are central to the Clive Museum collection as it appears today. However, such was his enthusiasm for collecting Indian treasures and mementoes that his family members continued to do so after he died, contributing to the magnificent array of objects on show.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive of Plassey 'Clive of India', KB, FRS, DCL, MP (1725-1774), studio of Nathaniel Dance-Holland RA (London 1735 – Winchester 1811), circa 1770. A three-quarter-length portrait, standing , in military uniform wearing the ribbon of the Order of the Bath, looking to his left, a battle (possible Battle of Plassey, 1757) in the background. See also P.33 (Oak DR)
Provenance
Accepted by HM Treasury on 21st March, 1963 in lieu of tax and conveyed to National Trust ownership in 1992. Recorded at Walcot Hall in Montgomery Collections Vol VI P.148 in 1873.
Credit line
Powis Castle, The Powis Collection (National Trust)
Makers and roles
studio of Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, RA (London 1735 - Winchester 1811), artist
Exhibition history
Tigers and Dragons: India and Wales in Britian, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea, 2025
References
Steegman 1957 John Steegman, A Survey of Portraits in Welsh Houses, Vol.I: North Wales, Cardiff, 1957, no. 48 Kerslake 1977 John Kerslake, Early Georgian Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, London 1977 (2 vols), I, p. 58, II, pl. 159