An Unknown Young Royal Naval Lieutenant, possibly William Henry, Duke of Clarence, later William IV (1765 - 1837)
British (English) School
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
circa 1785 - 1786
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
749 x 622 mm (29 1/2 x 24 1/2 in)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Cragside, Northumberland
NT 1230232
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, An Unknown Young Royal Naval Lieutenant, British (English) School, circa 1785/8. A half-length portrait of a young man, his head turned to the left, wearing a Lieutenant's uniform, his left arm on the fluke of an anchor, and a ship at sea in the background. The sitter's uniform is that of a Royal Navy lieutenant (1767–1787), down to the detail of the Tudor Rose pattern buttons. The sitter has a fair likeness to Prince Frederick William (1765–1837), subsequently Duke of Clarence and William IV, who would have worn this dress between his commissioning as lieutenant in June 1785 and his rapid promotion to captain in April the following year.
Provenance
Armstrong collection; transferred by the Treasury to The National Trust in 1977 via the National Land Fund, aided by 3rd Baron Armstrong of Bamburgh and Cragside (1919 - 1987).
Credit line
Cragside, The Armstrong Collection (acquired through the National Land Fund and transferred to the National Trust in 1977)
Makers and roles
British (English) School, artist