Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (1676-1745) Prime Minister

Location

Country: UK
City: England
Place: Wiston House, Foreign Office, Wilton Park

This portrait is a three-quarter length version of the full-length original, from the sitter's collection, painted in 1740 and now in the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Many other versions exist, including two in the Government Art Collection.

Jean Baptiste van Loo was born in Aix-en-Provence to a family of Flemish painters. He worked in the south of France until 1714, when he travelled to northern Italy and Rome, and settled in Paris in 1720. While in Paris, he established himself as a portrait painter in the circle of the Regent, Philippe d'Orléans, and also painted a portrait of Louis XV. In 1731, he became a member of the Académie Royale. In 1737, van Loo moved to England, where he was patronised by Prime Minister Robert Walpole. In 1742, after a year’s ill-health, van Loo returned to Aix and his later life was divided between Paris and Aix. Today, his works are in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, London; the Louvre, Paris; and the Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

People

Robert, 1st Earl of Orford Walpole (1676 - 1745)

Places

Subjects

Materials & Techniques

Artist

Jean Baptiste van, (Studio) Loo

Title

Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (1676-1745) Prime Minister

Date

c.1740

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

height: 127.00 cm, width: 101.50 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from Hermann Schwerbrock, January 1985

Provenance

Collection of Hermann Schwerbrock; from whom purchased by the Government Art Collection in January 1985

GAC number

16329