Sir Jacob Astley, 6th Bt, 16th Baron Hastings (1797-1859), as a Young Man, in Masquerade Dress
Henry William Pickersgill, RA (London 1782 – London 1875)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1826 - 1826 (exh at RA)
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
914 x 686 mm (36 x 27 in)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Seaton Delaval Hall, Northumberland
NT 1276700
Caption
It was Jacob Astley who revived the dormant Hastings barony, having fought against other branches of the family, in 1841. He was the son of Sir Jacob Henry Astley, 5th Bt. (1756 – 1817) and Hester Browne (d.1855), daughter of Samuel Browne of King’s Lynn. He was High Sheriff and MP, and something of a connoisseur – it was he who bought the famous Fairfax Jewel, which is now at Seaton Delaval. In his own time, he was perhaps more famous as a cuckold. His wife, Georgiana Caroline, daughter of Sir Henry Dashwood, 3rd Bt., whom he married in 1819 bore him two sons, but in 1835 she had a daughter, fathered by Thomas Garth. The affair was satirised in the press, but she died soon after the birth of the illegitimate child, aged 39.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Sir Jacob Astley, 16th Lord Hastings (1797-1859) by Henry William Pickersgill, RA (London 1782 – London 1875), 1826. A half-length portrait, turned left, wearing blue coat, lined with red, and lace collar and cuffs, and holding a mask; landscape beyond.
Full description
Son of Sir Jacob Henry Astley, 5th Bt (1756 – 1817) and Hester Browne (d.1855), daughter of Samuel Browne of King’s Lynn. He was High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1821 and 1822, and in 1832 he returned to Parliament for Norfolk West. He married Georgiana Caroline, daughter of Sir Henry Dashwood, 3rd Bt, MP of Kirtlington, Oxford, in 1819. She bore him two sons: Jacob Henry, later 17th Baron (1855 – 75); and Delaval Loftus, later 18th Baron (1825 – 72). In 1835 she bore a daughter, fathered by Thomas Garth, an affair which was satirised in the press (see the prints in the V&A by William Heath of the Cuckoldum Extraordinary [published 23 February 1827], and Riding a Roebuck (published in July 1827]). His errant wife, however, died soon after the birth in June 1835, age 39. He clearly had the makings of a connoisseur. He acquired the Fairfax Jewel (still at Seaton Delaval), and we know he owned a 16th century Italian maiolica dish, with a woman with a winged headdress, now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Astley revived the dormant Hastings barony, having fought against other branches of the family, but in 1841 the House of Lords Privileges Committee reported in his favour. He resided at Melton Constable, and had owned Seaton Delaval for only five years when the fire of 1822 destroyed the main block. He may have started repairs before his death. Exhibited at the RA 1826, along with the companion picture of his wife.
Provenance
Accepted in lieu of tax by H.M. Treasury and transferred to the National Trust in 2009
Credit line
Seaton Delaval, The Hastings Collection (National Trust)
Marks and inscriptions
Bottom right hand corner of painting: "157" painted in white
Makers and roles
Henry William Pickersgill, RA (London 1782 – London 1875), artist