William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, later 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (1737-1805)
Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA (Plympton 1723 - London 1792) and Studio
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1771
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
1270 x 1016 mm (50 x 40 in)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Saltram, Devon
NT 872153
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, later 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (1737-1805) by Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA (Plympton 1723 - London 1792) and Studio, 1771. A three-quarter-length portrait of William Petty who succeeded his father as 2nd earl of Shelburne in 1761 and was created Marquess of Lansdowne in 1784 as well as being Prime Minister in 1782-3. He is seated to left, wearing peer's robes, his left hand on the arm of his chair, his right resting on a table with paper and writing materials.
Provenance
Said to have been acquired from Reynolds (cf. Bretton & Brayley, Beauties, Vol.IV, 1809, p.144 - note from Francis Brown in catalogue file); accepted by the Treasury in part payment of death-duties from the executors of Edmund Robert Parker, 4th Earl of Morley (1877-1951) and transferred to the Trust in 1957.
Credit line
Saltram, The Morley Collection (accepted in lieu of tax by HM Treasury, and transferred to The National Trust in 1957)
Marks and inscriptions
Recto: Inscribed, top left: Wm . Marquis of / Lansdown Recto: Inscribed, top right: Sr . J.Reynolds / pinxit 1771 (?)
Makers and roles
Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA (Plympton 1723 - London 1792) and Studio, artist
References
Graves and Cronin 1899-1901 Algernon Graves and W.V.Cronin, A History of the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, 4 vols, London 1899-1901, Vol.III, p.882 Armstrong 1900 Sir Walter Armstrong, Sir Joshua Reynolds, First President of the Royal Academy, 1900, p.216 Saltram, Devon, 1967 The Saltram Collection, Plympton, Devon [National Trust; F. St. John Gore], 1967, 1967, p.33; 1977, p.36 66T (123)