Sir Brownlow Cust, 1st Baron Brownlow FSA, FRS, MP (1744 – 1807)
Francis Cotes (London 1726 - London 1770)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1769 - 1770 (unfinished)
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
1420 x 1170 mm
Order this imageCollection
Belton House, Lincolnshire
NT 436084
Caption
Elizabeth Cust, in her catalogue of pictures at Belton, describd this pictures as “never finished, as Coates the Painter died before he completed it.” This may have some truth in it (even though are now no obvious signs of incompletion), since Cotes also painted the sitter’s sisters, Anne and Elizabeth Cust. He has been painted in 'Van Dyck' dress, so-called because it recalls the attire of sitters in Van Dyck’s portraits. Sir Brownlow Cust was the son of Sir John Cust Bt. (1718-70), Speaker of the House of Commons, and Etheldred Payne (1720-75). He was raised to the peerage in 1776, in recognition of his late father's services as Speaker, taking his grandmother's family name - and his own christian name - as his title. He is painted here as a Gentleman Commoner of Cambridge University, to which he went up in 1762.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, Sir Brownlow Cust, 7th Bt, 1st Baron Brownlow FSA, FRS, MP (1744 – 1807) by Francis Cotes RA (London 1726 – London 1770). A three-quarter length portrait of a middle-aged man, turned to the left, and looking over to the right, short natural hair swept backwards, dressed in 'Van-Dyke' costume composed of white satin coat and breeches with a lace collar, and a magenta cloak which is draped over his right shoulder and arm. His left hand rests on his sword hilt. Documented by Elizabeth Cust as being unfinished due to the artists death.He was born on 3 December 1744 at Norfolk Street, Westminster. He was the son of Rt. Hon. Sir John Cust, 3rd Bt (1718-1770) Speaker of the House of Commons and Etheldred Payne (1720-1775). He married, firstly Jocosa Katherina Drury 1748/9-1772), daughter of Lt-Gen. Sir Thomas Drury, 1st and last Bt.(1712-1759) and Martha Tyrrell (d.1768), on 16 October 1770 at St. George's Church, St. George Street, Hanover Square, London, England and, secondly, Frances Bankes (1756-1847), daughter of Sir Henry Bankes and Frances Pembrooke, on 31 August 1775 at St. James' Church, Westminster. He was educated at Eton and graduated from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge in 1766 with an MA. He was MP (Tory) for Ilchester 1768-1774 and Grantham 1774-1776. He was created 1st Baron Brownlow of Belton on 20 May 1776, for his late father's services. He became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (FS.) on 13 June 1776 and a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRs) on 8 May 1783. His sister, Elisabeth married Philip Yorke I of Erddig in 1770, who had been a friend of his at Cambridge He died on 25 December 1807 at age 63 at Belton and is buried at Belton.
Provenance
Purchased with a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) from Edward John Peregrine Cust, 7th Baron Brownlow, C. St J. (b.1936) in 1984
Credit line
Belton House, The Brownlow Collection (acquired with the help of the National Heritage Memorial Fund by the National Trust in 1984)
Makers and roles
Francis Cotes (London 1726 - London 1770), artist