John Parker, 1st Baron Boringdon (1734/5-1788)
Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA (Plympton 1723 - London 1792)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1767 (signed and dated) - circa 1819
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
762 x 635 mm (30 x 25 in)
Order this imageCollection
Saltram, Devon
NT 872142
Caption
John Parker inherited Saltram in the same year as he sat for this portrait, possibly intending for this to be amongst the first of his new acquisitions for Saltram. John grew up and was close friends with the artist Joshua Reynolds who was born nearby in Plympton. He went on to commission a great number of portraits of both family and friends from the artist. The portrait is listed in the 1819 Saltram catalogue as number 118, displayed in the library. It still hangs there today. Reynolds painted two versions of this portrait. One remained at Saltram whilst the second was gifted to a close friend, Sir Thomas Acland (1722-1785) of Killerton house. (That portrait remained at Killerton until 1982 when it was sold by the family.) It is likely that this portrait was commissioned as part of a gift exchange between the two men, for Reynolds also painted two portraits of Thomas in the following year. Again, one remained at Killerton and the other came to Saltram (NT 872151) and now hangs in the Saloon. John and Thomas’ shared love of the outdoors and hunting is evident in their portraits; John wears a hunting jacket in the colours of the Woburn Hunt whilst Thomas holds a whip with his hunt dog at his knee.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, John Parker, 1st Baron Boringdon (1734/5 - 1788) by Sir Joshua Reynolds (Plympton 1723 - London 1792), signed and dated (or possibly inscribed at a later date?), in gold lettering, bottom left and right: Ino.Ld. / Boringdon. Sr. J: Reynolds, / pinxit 1767. A half-length painted oval portrait of son of John Parker of Saltram, and Catherine his wife looking to the right in grey green coat with dark blue facings embroidered in gold and white stock (the dress of the Woburn Hunt).
Provenance
Given to the National Trust as part of the endowment by Montagu Brownlow Parker, 5th Earl of Morley (1878–1962)
Credit line
Saltram, The Morley Collection (National Trust)
Makers and roles
Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA (Plympton 1723 - London 1792), artist
References
Catalogue of the Pictures, Casts and Busts belonging to the Earl of Morley at Saltram. 1819, p.27