George Harry Grey, 6th Earl of Stamford (1765-1845), as a young boy
James Shaw (b.Wolverhampton, fl.1776 - 1787)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1773
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
1511 x 1105 mm (59 1/2 x 43 1/2 in)
Order this imageCollection
Dunham Massey, Cheshire
NT 932287
Caption
Dogs are very often associated with children in pictures, perhaps most memorably in van Dyck’s portrayals of the children of Charles I. Shaw was a little-known artist from Wolverhampton, whose masterpiece this would appear to be. Shaw is described as a pupil of Edward Penny, who himself came from Knutsford, and therefore may well have recommended his pupil to this commission. The portrait is not, however, like anything by Penny - if anything, it has some affinity with the children’s portraits of Shaw’s fellow-Midlander, Joseph Wright of Derby. It has been suggested that the dog may have been a breed maintained at Dunham over many years.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, George Harry Grey, 6th Earl of Stamford (1765-1845), as a young boy by James Shaw (b.Wolverhampton, fl.1776 - 1787), 1773. A full-length portrait of a boy, aged 8, walking to the right in a landscape, gazing at the spectator and gesturing forward with both hands, he wears a blue satin waistcoat and blue breeches and a white shirt, white stockings and black shoes. He has short reddish hair. There is a tree and rock to the left and a distant view of hills and a far horizon to the right with a cloudy blue sky. A spaniel dog lies at his feet.
Provenance
Bequeathed to the National Trust with the house, estate and all the contents of Dunham Massey by Roger Grey, 10th Earl of Stamford (1896 - 1976)
Makers and roles
James Shaw (b.Wolverhampton, fl.1776 - 1787), artist