George Hay LL.D, MP, later Sir George Hay (1715-78)
William Hogarth (London 1697 - London 1764)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1757
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
800 x 730 x 70 mm
Place of origin
London
Collection
Penrhyn Castle, Gwynedd
NT 1422180
Summary
Oil on canvas, George Hay LL.D, MP, later Sir George Hay (1715-78), by William Hogarth (London 1697 - London 1764), 1757. A head-and-shoulders portrait of a man, turned slightly to left, gazing at the viewer, with full brown eyebrows, a rounded powdered wig, white cravat, black waistcoat and coat. Sir George Hay was a prominent British judge and politician who served in the House of Commons from 1754 to 1778. He was knighted in 1773 and appointed Judge of the High Court of Admiralty. His career was marked by significant contributions to both the legal and political fields, including his role as Chancellor of the Diocese of Worcester and King's Advocate General. Hay was known for his eloquence and was a friend of notable figures such as Garrick and Hogarth. He owned paintings by Hogarth and subscribed to his prints. Plate IV of the Election series, Chairing the Member, is dedicated to him. Hogarth's last known letter, written in August 1759, is addressed to Hay. Hay's later years were marred by illness, and he tragically died by suicide in 1778 at the age of 63.
Full description
This portrait can be dated to 1757 when it was seen by John Hoadley in Hogarth's studio, together with the portrait of Mr and Mrs Garrick. In a letter to Dr Warton Hoadley wrote: 'There is an admirable head of Dr Hay of the Commons; which if I were like, I would not have my picture drawn: I shd (sic) not like to meet that figure in the fields going to Chelsey, for fear of dying that night in a ditch - With twenty gaping gashes on my crown.' Hay left the portrait, along with all his property, to his sole executor, the wine merchant Samuel Edwards. He instructed Edwards to 'burn all papers in my own handwriting'. After Edwards' death (c. 1799), the portrait entered the Garrick collection, appearing in Mrs Garrick's sale in 1823. It was bought by George Hay Dawkins Pennant (1764-1840), MP, of Penrhyn Castle. Adapted from Elizabeth Einberg, William Hogarth: A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, no. 226.
Provenance
Presumably painted for the sitter; bequeathed in 1778 to Samuel Edwards of Beaufort Buildings, Strand, in whose collection first recorded 1782; Mrs Garrick's sale, Christie's, 23 June 1823 (no. 38), unattributed, £5; bought by Dawkins Pennant Esq of Portland Place; thence by descent.
Marks and inscriptions
Stretcher bar, verso: no. 12
Makers and roles
William Hogarth (London 1697 - London 1764), artist possibly British (English) School, painter
References
Nichols 1781, 1782, 1785 John Nichols, Biographical Anecdotes of William Hogarth and a Catalogue of his Works, 1781, rev. 1782, rev. 1785, p. 88 (1782), p. 98 (1785) Nichols and Steevens 1808 J. Nichols and G. Steevens, The Genuine Works of William Hogarth, London, 1808 - 17 (3 vols.), pp. 212-13, 424 Nichols 1833, J. B. Nichols, Anecdotes of Hogarth, 1833, p. 384 Pennant, 1902: Alice Douglas Pennant. Catalogue of the pictures at Penrhyn Castle and Mortimer House in 1901. Bangor: Printed by Jarvis & Foster, 1902., no. 12, as 'Probably by Hogarth. Portrait of a Stout Middle-Aged Man, possibly Dr. Warburton' Dobson 1907, A. Dobson, Hogarth, 1907, p. 213 Steegman, John, 1899-1966. survey of portraits in Welsh Houses / 1957-1962., p. 61, no. 29, as 'Unknown Man' by Hogarth or Hoare Paulson 1991-3; Ronald Paulson, Hogarth, New Brunswick, 3 vols, 1991-1993, vol. 3 (1993), pp. 294-97, 504 n. 22 Einberg 2017: Elizabeth Einberg, William Hogarth: A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, New Haven and London 2017, no. 226