Admiral Sir George Anson, Baron Anson of Soberton (1697-1762)
Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA (Plympton 1723 - London 1792)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1755 (sittings recorded)
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
1257 x 997 mm (49 1/2 x 39 1/4 in)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Shugborough Estate, Staffordshire
NT 1271068
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Admiral Sir George Anson, Baron Anson of Soberton (1697-1762) by Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA (Plympton 1723 - London 1792), sitttings recorded for February 21st and 25th 1755. A three-quarter-length portrait, turned to the right, gazing at the spectator, his left hand resting on an anchor, his right hand on his hip, in powdered hair and wearing naval uniform, consisting of blue coat with massive gilt frogging, a white satin waistcoat with gold braiding, white shirt and white stock, a British Man O' War seen in the distance beyond on the right (possibly inserted later into picture by another hand). Possibly the ship shown here is the Centurion, in which he navigated the globe, and in which, in 1749, Commodore Keppel took Reynolds to Italy (?) or the Prince George, his flagship as Vice-Admiral of the White, in command of the fleet that defeated the French at Cape Finisterre in 1747.
Provenance
This version of the portrait was presented to Captain, ultimately Admiral, Sir Peircy Brett (1709-1781), originally second-lieutenant, and finally Captain of the Centurion. It passed by descent to his great-grandson, Sir George Bowyer, 7th Bt (1811-83). According to Graves & Cronin, it was sold by this owner at Christie's on 6 May 1871, lot 122, when it was bought by Graves for 190 gns.; bought by the 3rd Earl of Lichfield in 1871; accepted by H.M. Treasury in lieu of estate duties following the death of Thomas Edward Anson (1883 – 1960) the 4th Earl of Lichfield and given on loan to The National Trust for display at Shugborough Hall in March 1966. Transferred as a gift to The National Trust by H.M. Treasury on the 30th October 1984.
Credit line
Shugborough, The Anson Collection (National Trust)
Makers and roles
Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA (Plympton 1723 - London 1792), artist
References
Graves and Cronin 1899-1901 Algernon Graves and W.V.Cronin, A History of the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, 4 vols, London 1899-1901, I, pp. 26-27 Armstrong 1900 Sir Walter Armstrong, Sir Joshua Reynolds, First President of the Royal Academy, 1900, p. 191 Waterhouse 1941 Ellis K. Waterhouse, Reynolds, London, 1941, p. 39, ppl. 22 Kerslake 1977 John Kerslake, Early Georgian Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, London 1977 (2 vols), I, p. 7, II, pl.26