Portrait bust of Frederick William Hervey, later 5th Earl and 1st Marquess of Bristol (1769-1859)
Elizabeth Boughton, Lady Templetown (1747 - 1823)
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
c. 1798 - 1800
Materials
Plaster
Measurements
620 x 420 x 220 mm
Place of origin
London
Order this imageCollection
Ickworth, Suffolk
NT 852237
Summary
Sculpture, painted plaster; Portrait bust of Frederick William Hervey, 5th Earl and 1st Marquess of Bristol (1769-1859); Elizabeth Boughton, Lady Templetown (1747-1823); Ickworth or London, c. 1798-1800. This plaster bust depicts the second son of the 4th Earl of Bristol, known as the Earl-Bishopl. Frederick William Hervey became heir to the title after the early death of his elder brother in 1796. Sober and responsible, after he had succeeded as 5th Earl following the Earl-Bishop’s death in 1803, Frederick Hervey rebuilt the wealth of the Bristol estates, completed the Rotunda and other buildings at Ickworth and also acquired much of the contents of the house. The portrait was made by Lord Bristol’s mother-in-law Elizabeth Boughton, Lady Templetown, who was a talented amateur artist. She is best-known today for the designs she supplied to Josiah Wedgwood, but she was also an impressive sculptor, as may be seen in her works at Ickworth which, as well as the portrait of her son-in-law, include plaster portrait busts of her grandchildren Augusta and Frederick William as infants. The plaster bust would have served as a model for a marble bust, also at Ickworth,
Full description
A painted plaster portrait bust of Frederick William Hervey, 5th Earl and 1st Marquess of Bristol, made by the sitter’s mother-in-law Elizabeth Boughton, Lady Templetown. The sitter is depicted facing frontally and dressed in a toga, fastened at the right shoulder with a large boss-like clasp. The bust is truncated at the shoulders and cut square across the chest. Mounted on a circular plaster socle with an inscription plate. The socle has suffered serious damage and losses, to an area from the front around the proper left side and to the back. Black staining on areas at back. A version in plaster of a marble portrait bust (NT 252209) of Frederick William Hervey, second son of Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol (1730-1803), known as the Earl-Bishop. Frederick became heir to his father in 1796, following the unexpected death of his elder brother John. The portrait is likely to have been made in 1798 or a year or two beyond then, after the marriage in February 1798 of Frederick William Hervey to Elizabeth Albana Upton (1775-1844), the eldest daughter of the sculptor, Elizabeth Upton, Lady Templetown (1747-1823), a talented amateur artist who furnished designs to Josiah Wedgwood for use on Wedgwood pottery (Hughes 1952). The plaster bust would have been the first to be made and would have served as a model for the marble. For more information on the sitter and on the sculptor of the bust, Elizabeth Upton, Lady Templetown (1747-1823), see NT 252209. Jeremy Warren July 2025
Provenance
Part of the Bristol Collection. Acquired by the National Trust in 1956 under the auspices of the National Land Fund, later the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
Makers and roles
Elizabeth Boughton, Lady Templetown (1747 - 1823), sculptor