''Portrait of the Duke of Portland'' is an oil on canvas

portrait painting Portrait painting is a Hierarchy of genres, genre in painting, where the intent is to represent a specific human subject. The term 'portrait painting' can also describe the actual painted portrait. Portraitists may create their work by commissio ...

by the English artist

Thomas Lawrence Sir Thomas Lawrence (13 April 1769 – 7 January 1830) was an English people, English portrait painter and the fourth president of the Royal Academy. A child prodigy, he was born in Bristol and began drawing in Devizes, where his father was a ...

, from 1792. It depicts the British politician

William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland (14 April 173830 October 1809) was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig and then a Tories (British political party), Tory politician during the late Georgian era. He s ...

, who served twice as

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

History and description

Titular head of the Fox-North Coalition for eight months from April to December 1783. The leader of the Portland Whigs he crossed to join the government of

William Pitt the Younger William Pitt (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British statesman who served as the last prime minister of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800, and then first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, p ...

(who had succeeded him as Prime Minister) in the wake of the French Revolution. In 1807 he returned to the premiership and held the position to 1809, shortly before his death. The

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

-born Lawrence had lived and worked in nearby

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

before moving to London where he rapidly established himself as a rising portraitist of

high society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...

. He was around twenty three years old when he depicted Portland in this full-length portrait wearing the robes of a

peer of the realm A peer of the realm is a member of the highest aristocratic social order outside the ruling dynasty of the kingdom. Notable examples are: * a member of the peerages in the United Kingdom, who is a hereditary peer or a life peer * a member of the ...

. The painting was commissioned by the City of Bristol for a hundred

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

. Portland had served as High steward of the city and the work was displayed in the Mansion House in Queen Square to celebrate this connection. The painting was narrowly saved from destruction during the 1831 Bristol riots, following the defeat of the second Reform Bill. The Mansion House was attacked by a mob and burned down although some of the contents were rescued in time. Today it is on display in the

Bristol Museum Bristol Museum & Art Gallery is a large museum and art gallery in Bristol, England. The museum is situated in Clifton, Bristol, Clifton, about from the city centre. As part of Bristol Culture and Creative Industries it is run by the Bristol Cit ...

in Clifton.Art UK
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References

Bibliography

* Holmes, Richard. ''Thomas Lawrence Portraits''. National Portrait Gallery, 2010. * Levey, Michael. ''Sir Thomas Lawrence''. Yale University Press, 2005. * Stockley, Andrew. ''Britain and France at the Birth of America: The European Powers and the Peace Negotiations of 1782–1783''. University of Exeter Press, 2001. * Wilkinson, David. ''The Duke of Portland: Politics and Party in the Age of George III''. Springer, 2002. {{DEFAULTSORT:Portrait of the Duke of Portland 1792 paintings Paintings by Thomas Lawrence Portrait paintings of prime ministers of the United Kingdom Paintings in Bristol Museum & Art Gallery Portraits of men