Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt (1714-1777) politician; Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; Envoy to Mecklenberg-Strelitz for King George III’s Marriage to Charlotte
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About the work
- Location
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Country: Germany
City: Berlin
Place: British Embassy
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About the artist
Benjamin Wilson was born in Leeds. He achieved some success as a portrait painter both in Dublin, where he practised from 1748 to 1750, and subsequently in England where, in the 1750s, he was considered by some to be a rival to the young Reynolds. Wilson's overriding interest, however, was in the field of science; he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and, after 1769 until his death in 1788, seems to have given up art altogether to pursue scientific interests. He devoted himself particularly to the study of the efficiency of lightning conductors.
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Explore
- Places
- Subjects
- male portrait, man, 18th century costume, coat, shirt, waistcoat, wig, tassel, Earl, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, diplomat, Envoy to Meckleburg-Strelitz, window
- Materials & Techniques
- canvas, oil, oil painting
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Details
- Title
- Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt (1714-1777) politician; Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; Envoy to Mecklenberg-Strelitz for King George III’s Marriage to Charlotte
- Date
- 1753
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- height: 124.50 cm, width: 99.00 cm
- Acquisition
- Purchased from Christie's, 27 March 1953
- Provenance
- Presumably collection of politician Simon Harcourt 1st Earl of Harcourt (1714-1777); with Spink and Son; by whom sold through Christie’s, London, on 27 March 1953 (Lot 123), for £21.0.0; from which sale purchased by Agnew’s Gallery, London, on behalf of the Ministry of Works
- GAC number
- 2121