William, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1765) 1764
Oil on canvas | 91.7 x 71.0 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 400565
-
When George III was asked by Lord Eglinton to sit for the most fashionable portrait painter of the day, Joshua Reynolds, he replied: ‘Mr Ramsay is my painter, my Lord.’ Reynolds tried to gain royal notice with two speculative ventures – a portrait of George III as Prince of Wales (OM 1011, 401034) and an oil sketch for a depiction of his marriage to Queen Charlotte (OM 1012, 404353) – both of which remained on his hands. Reynolds was knighted by George III, made first president of the Royal Academy and Principal Painter to the King upon Ramsay’s death in 1784, but never asked to paint anything. That the Royal Collection has a fine group of Reynolds is entirely thanks to George IV, who commissioned portraits at the end of the artist’s life and acquired many examples of his earlier work.
In 1758 the Duke of Cumberland sat to Reynolds for a full-length portrait, possibly that now at Chatsworth. The Royal Collection has two versions of this much-copied portrait (OM 1009-1010, 400565 and 404541). This one reduces the format and alters the arm, while keeping the essential set of the head; it was painted in 1764 for Sir William Keppel, who presented it to George IV in 1829. The Duke is shown wearing the robes of the Garter and Garter Collar.Provenance
Presented to George IV by Sir William Keppel in 1829; added to the inventory of Carlton House dated 1819 (no 632)
-
Medium and techniques
Oil on canvas
Measurements
91.7 x 71.0 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
126.0 x 106.2 x 10.4 cm (frame, external)
Category
Object type(s)