Portrait of Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour

John Singer Sargent (1856 - 1925)

National Portrait Gallery

1908

Arthur James Balfour (1848-1930) was a pivotal figure in British politics from the 1880s to the late 1920s. He was Prime Minister from 1902-1905. During his time as Foreign Secretary from 1916-1919 he oversaw the Balfour Declaration which supported the establishment of a home for the Jewish people in Palestine. Sargent portrays him as a sad philosopher and a sad statesman. This work was acquired with assistance from the Wolfson Foundation.

• Medium: oil on canvas
• Dimensions: 256.5 x 147.3cm
• Art Fund Grant: £277000 ( Total: £900,000)
• ArtFunded in: 2002
• Vendor: Carlton Club

Provenance

Commissioned by the Carlton Club, London.

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