Ruins of Leybourne Castle, Kent, from the South West

George Lambert (c.1700 - 1765)

Oil on canvas

1737

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Image of Ruins of Leybourne Castle, Kent, from the South West
  • About the work
    Location
    Country: Portugal
    City: Lisbon
    Place: British Embassy
    The picture shows the ruins of Leybourne Castle, near West Malling in Kent, from the south-west. It is one of three views of the Leybourne estate painted by George Lambert in 1737 for its owner, Francis Whitworth. A Member of Parliament for Minehead, Whitworth bought Leybourne Grange in 1724 and later rebuilt the house and improved the grounds. The ruins of the old castle had been rebuilt as a gentleman’s dwelling house in 1703, before Whitworth purchased the estate, but by the time this view was painted it had been converted to a farm house. 
  • About the artist
    George Lambert, theatre scene and landscape painter, divided his career equally between the two professions. For most of his life he lived in Covent Garden. His early style of the 1720s is similar to that of John Wootton. However, his later classical landscapes earned him the accolade ‘the English Poussin’. Lambert painted the landscape backgrounds for William Hogarth’s paintings ‘The Pool of Bethesda’ and ‘The Good Samaritan’, made for St. Bartholomew’s Hospital (1736-37). In 1761 he was elected chairman of the newly founded Society of Artists of Great Britain. The Society received the Royal Seal on 26th January 1765 and just five days later Lambert died at his home in Covent Garden, leaving his possessions to his servant, Ann Terry.
  • Explore
    Places
    England, Leybourne Castle, Kent
    Subjects
    topography, landscape C18th, genre, tree, man, woman, child, path, gate, castle, ruin, chimney, tower
    Materials & Techniques
    canvas, oil, oil painting
  • Details
    Artist
    George Lambert (c.1700 - 1765)
    Title
    Ruins of Leybourne Castle, Kent, from the South West
    Date
    1737
    Medium
    Oil on canvas
    Dimensions
    height: 104.00 cm, width: 95.00 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from Spink & Son, March 1957
    Inscription
    bl: G. Lambert / 1737
    Provenance
    Sold through Sotheby's, London, on 14 February 1951 (Lot 133); from which sale purchased by Spink; from whom purchased by the Ministry of Works in March 1957
    GAC number
    3724