Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (1676-1745) Prime Minister
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About the work
- Location
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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.
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About the artist
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.
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Explore
- Places
- Subjects
- scroll (as Subject), male portrait, man, 18th century costume, ceremonial costume, chancellor's robe, bands, riband, tassel, Chancellor's Purse, Order of the Garter, Order of the Bath, Earl, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Privy Counsellor, Prime Minister
- Materials & Techniques
- canvas, oil, oil painting
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Details
- 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