John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute

Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723 - 1792)

National Portrait Gallery

1773

This full-length portrait shows the Earl in Garter robes, advancing slightly to the left, but looking round to the right. He holds his hat in his right hand, and stands between a column and an urn. The prevailing colour in this figure is a silvery white, with the blue of the mantle subdued so that despite the grandeur of dress and pose, the eye is at once led to the tactile flesh-tints of the face and to the sardonic expression, sensitive mouth, and black eyebrows of the much-criticised statesman Earl.

• Medium: oil on canvas
• Dimensions: 240 x 150 cm
• Grant Paid: £1,000 ( Total: £2,000)
• ArtFunded in: 1958
• Vendor: 3rd Earl of Wharncliffe

Provenance

3rd Earl of Wharncliffe

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