Sir William Hamilton
1783-1784
Artist, British, 1734 - 1802

Artwork overview
-
Medium
oil on canvas
-
Credit Line
-
Dimensions
overall: 76.8 x 65.1 cm (30 1/4 x 25 5/8 in.)
framed: 95.3 x 82.6 x 6 cm (37 1/2 x 32 1/2 x 2 3/8 in.) -
Accession
1970.17.133
Artwork history & notes
Provenance
Noted as given by the sitter in 1789 to his nephew, the Hon. Charles Francis Greville [1749-1809];[1] (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 31 March 1810, no. 41); probably bought on behalf of the Hon. Robert Fulke Greville [1751-1824],[2] brother of Charles Francis Greville; bequest to his wife, Louisa, Countess of Mansfield [d. 1843]; by inheritance to their daughter, Lady Louisa Greville [d. 1883], wife of the Reverend the Hon. Daniel Hatton [1795-1866], rector of Great Weldon and chaplain to the queen; by descent to Nigel Hatton [1859-1937]. (Asher Wertheimer, London), by 1917;[3] sold 1917 to (M. Knoedler & Co., London and New York); purchased 1918 by Andrew W. Mellon, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.; gift by 1937 to his daughter, Ailsa Mellon Bruce [1901-1969), New York; bequest 1970 to NGA.
[1] According to a Knoedler prospectus dated 26 April 1913 given to Andrew Mellon, Sir William gave the portrait to his nephew on 8 May 1789.
[2] Christie's marked copy of the catalogue records no. 41 as bought by "Col. Greville." Robert Fulke's son, also named Robert Fulke, was a captain; possibly he acted as buyer for his father, and was recorded as "Col."
[3] M. Knoedler & Co. records, recorded by The Provenance Index, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, California.
Associated Names
- Hamilton, William, Sir
- Greville, Charles Francis
- Christie, Manson & Woods, Ltd.
- Greville, Robert Fulke, The Hon.
- Mansfield, Louisa Greville, Countess of
- Greville, Louisa, Lady
- Hatton, William Robert Finch, Rev.
- Hatton, Nigel Montagu Finch
- Wertheimer, Asher
- M. Knoedler & Company
- Mellon, Andrew W.
- Bruce, Ailsa Mellon, Mrs.
Exhibition History
1996
Vases and Volcanoes: Sir William Hamilton and His Collection, The British Museum, London, 1996, no. 8, repro.
1998
"Designs from Fancy": George Romney's Shakespearean Drawings, The Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C., 1998-1999, no. 11.
2008
Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2008-2009, no. 118, repro. (shown only in Washington).
Bibliography
1785
Public Advertiser, 13 April 1785.
1904
Ward, Humphry and William Roberts. Romney. 2 vols. London, 1904: 1:103; 2:69-70.
1975
European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 310, repro.
Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. New York, 1975: no. 512, color repro.
1984
Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 365, no. 510. colo repro.
1985
European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 356, repro.
1992
Hayes, John. British Paintings of the Sixteenth through Nineteenth Centuries. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1992: 239-240, repro. 239.
Wikidata ID
Q20179274