Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex
British School
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
circa 1813 - 1843
Materials
Wax
Measurements
85 x 70 mm
Place of origin
Great Britain
Order this imageCollection
Dyrham, Gloucestershire
NT 453461
Summary
Cream wax portrait of Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex (1773–1843), British, c.1813-1843. A head and shoulders portrait in profile facing to the left with short hair, plain tie, high collar and buttoned coat with Garter star on left breast. The Duke of Sussex wears the collar and jewel of the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, a position he held from 1813 until his death in 1943. The wax is mounted on a dark blue fabric background, set within a wooden frame with a gilt slip.
Full description
The Duke of Sussex was the sixth son and ninth child of George III and Queen Charlotte. He was tutored at home as a boy, but continued his education at the University of Gottingen in Germany. Unlike his brothers, Augustus did not embark on a military career, possibly due to being asthmatic. His secret marriage to Lady Augusta Murray in Rome in 1793 angered his father, George III, who later annulled the marriage on the grounds that it contravened the Royal Marriages act of 1772. He held a number of important cultural positions, including President of the Society of Arts from 1816, and President of the Royal Society between 1830 and 1838. In 1813 he was appointed Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, the most senior position within Freemasonry. He was a greatly respected figure within the Freemasonry community, and on his death in 1843 at the age of 70, the Freemason's Quarterly Magazine paid him the following tribute: 'As a Freemason, the Duke of Sussex was the most accomplished Craftsman of his day. His knowledge of the mysteries was, as it were, intuitive; his reading on the subject was extensive - his correspondence equally so; and his desire to be introduced to any Brother from whose experience he could derive any information , had in it a craving that marked his great devotion to the order. His affability was so free from affectation or condescension, that those who for the first time had the honour of an introduction to his Royal Highness , were always struck with its peculiar kindness.' (1843, p.120) This wax portrait depicts the Duke of Sussex in the regalia of Grand Master, dating it between 1813 and 1843. An inscription on the reverse suggests that the wax was given by the Duke of Sussex to Richard William, Grand Director of Ceremonies. Anna Moore, 2018
Provenance
Bequeathed to the National Trust by Mr. Norman Morris in 1991.
Credit line
National Trust Collections (Dyrham Park)
Marks and inscriptions
Reverse of frame: H. R. H the/ Duke of Sussex Reverse of frame: East Hill House/ Tackleway Hastings Presented by H.R.H to him when/ Grand Master of Freemasons/ to Richard William/ who was Grand Director of Ceremonies Reverse of frame: Died 1843. Reverse of frame: Cutting from a newspaper article: Fortunately a flaw in this formidable provision was quickly discovered after the unauthorized wedding of KING GEORGE III's son, the DUKE of SUSSEX, to LADY AUGUSTA MURRAYat St. George's. Hanover Square, in 1793. In the nature of things, the presence of the members of the congregation could only be established by the evidence of one another; and, since no witness can be compelled to incriminate himself, all, though cited before the Privy Council, went scot-free. Nevertheless, the children of the marriage were held to be illegitimate, and the dukedom accordingly became extinct. Reverse of frame: Cutting from a newspaper: Finally came the Duke of Sussex, harmless but eccentric, living in seclusion amid fifty thousand books and several hundred musical clocks. Reverse of frame: Cutting from a newspaper: A portrait of the Duke of Sussex by Louis Gauffier, measuring 26 1/4 in. by 19 1/4 in., was sold for £1,150 (R. Longden) at Sotheby's yesterday. It is signed and dated 1793.
Makers and roles
British School , sculptor