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Matthew Pratt

William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, c. 1774

Not on View

Medium

oil on canvas

Dimensions

overall: 76.3 x 63.2 cm (30 1/16 x 24 7/8 in.)

framed: 99.7 x 87 x 2.9 cm (39 1/4 x 34 1/4 x 1 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Clarence Van Dyke Tiers

Accession Number

1942.13.2

Artists / Makers

Matthew Pratt (painter) American, 1734 - 1805

Image Use

This image is in the public domain.
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Provenance

The artist's descendants to his granddaughter, Maria Fennell [d. 28 March 1880], Philadelphia;[1] bequeathed to her niece, Rosalie Vallance Tiers Jackson [Mrs. Charles P. Jackson, 1852-1944];[2] by gift 1915 to her nephew, Clarence Van Dyke Tiers [1869-1959], Oakmont, PA and Daytona Beach, FL; gift 1942 to NGA.

[1]The painting's presumed provenance was from the artist to his daughter Mary [Mrs. William Fennell, 1771-1849]. Her three daughters were Maria and Susan, who never married, and Anna Matilda, who married Arundius Tiers (William Sawitzky, Matthew Pratt, A Study of his Work (New York, 1942), 27).

[2]In her will, dated September 4, 1879 (Philadelphia, Register of Wills, W476-1880), Maria Fennell left most of her estate to Rosalie Tiers. She provided that her niece inherit "my share of the pictures and household furniture, which I own jointly with my sister Susan Fennell." The portrait is not mentioned specifically.

Associated Names

Fennell, Maria
Tiers, Clarence Van Dyke, Mr.
Tiers, Rosalie Valence

Exhibition History

1828: Seventeenth Annual Exhibition of the Pennyslvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1828, no. 98.

1887: Loan Exhibition of Historical Portraits, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1887-1888.

1943: American Paintings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1943.

1947: American Paintings from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1947.

1949: American Paintings from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1949.

1952: [Opening exhibition], Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina, 1952, no. cat.

1952: Opening Exhibition of The George Thomas Hunter Gallery of Art, Chattanooga Art Association, Tennessee, 1952, unnumbered.

1953: American Paintings from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1953.

1955: American Paintings from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1955.

1956: American Paintings from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1956.

1972: Loan for display with permanent collection, Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, 1972-1974.

Bibliography

1828: Seventeenth Annual Exhibition of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Exh. cat. Philadelphia, 1828: no. 98.

1867: Tuckerman, Henry T. Book of the Artists: American Artist Life Comprising Biographical and Critical Sketches of American Artists. 5th ed. 1870. Reprint, New York, 1966: 48.

1869: Dunlap, William. A History of the Rise and Progress of The Arts of Design in the United States. 2 vols. Reprinted in 3. New York, 1969 (1834): 1:pl. 24.

1931: Bolton, Theodore, and Harry Lorin Binsse. "Pratt, Painter of Colonial Portraits and Signboards." The Antiquarian 17, no. 3 (September 1931): 50, as "Portland, Duchess. Mentioned by Dunlap."

1942: Sawitzky, William. Matthew Pratt, 1734-1805. New York, 1942: 10-11, 59-60, pl. 9.

1952: Opening Exhibition of the George Thomas Hunter Gallery of Art. Exh. cat. Chattanooga Art Association, 1952: unnumbered.

1955: Rutledge, Anna Wells. Cumulative Record of Exhibition Catalogues: the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1807-1870; the Society of Artists, 1800-1814; the Artists' Fund Society, 1835-1845. Philadelphia, 1955: 175.

1970: American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 92, repro., as The Duke of Portland.

1980: American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 212, repro.

1984: Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 375, no. 530, color repro., as The Duke of Portland.

1992: American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 265, repro.

1995: Miles, Ellen G. American Paintings of the Eighteenth Century. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1995: 142-144, repro. 143.