Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield (1804-1881) Prime Minister

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

Francis Grant’s original portrait of Disraeli, on which this mezzotint is based, was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1852 and is now on display in the library of the National Trust property Hughenden Manor in Buckinghamshire; Disraeli’s home from 1848 until his death.

Sir Francis Grant, son of a Scottish Laird, took up painting professionally after having exhausted his £10,000 inheritance by his late 20s. An early enthusiasm for fox hunting led him to settle at Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, the centre of hunting society, where he studied under the well-known sporting painter, John Ferneley. In 1840 Grant’s portrait of Queen Victoria riding with Prime Minister Lord Melbourne and others in the Great Park at Windsor established his reputation and he soon became one of the most fashionable society painters of the day. He was elected a member of the Royal Academy in 1851 and its President in 1865. Grant died at the age of 75 and was buried at the cemetery near his country residence at Melton Mowbray.
George James Zobel produced line, mezzotint and mixed media engravings, and occasionally etchings, mainly of portraiture subjects. He was probably born in Germany but lived in Brixton, London, for much of his career, with his wife and children. He exhibited 35 works at the Royal Academy between 1854 and 1879 and is reported to have frequently executed works for Queen Victoria, the Prince of Wales and other members of the royal family. Zobel’s wife died at their home in Lorn Road, Brixton, in 1878, aged 59. The announcement of her death in the ‘London Standard’ was followed by the words: ‘German papers, please copy.’ Zobel himself died at the age of 70.

People

Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield Disraeli (1804 - 1881)

Places

Subjects

male portrait, man, 19th century costume, coat, cravat, wing collar, Earl, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Member of Parliament, Prime Minister

Materials & Techniques

chine collé, mezzotint

Artist

Sir Francis Grant (1803 - 1878)
George James Zobel (1810 - 1881)

Title

Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield (1804-1881) Prime Minister

Date

Medium

Mezzotint with chine collé

Dimensions

height: 69.20 cm, width: 50.30 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from Grosvenor Prints, May 2010

Inscription

verso, in pencil: Rt Hon ble / Benjamin Disraeli / Ld. Beaconsfield

Provenance

Grosvenor Prints, London

GAC number

18329