Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Mortimer (1689-1741) book collector and patron of the arts
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About the work
- Location
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Country: UK
City: London
Place: Downing Street
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About the artist
Portraitist Michael Dahl was born in Stockholm. He studied under M. Hannibal and D. K. Ehrenstrahl before moving to England in 1682. In 1684 he visited Paris with Henry Tilson, possibly accompanying Godfrey Kneller. Dahl and Tilson travelled on to Rome. After converting to Catholicism, Dahl was able to paint Queen Kristina. He also painted Pietro Garoli of the Accademia di S. Luca. Dahl and Tilson returned in 1689 and Dahl was patronised by Prince George of Denmark and the Duke of Somerset. Queen Anne later commissioned he and Kneller to paint 14 portraits of Admirals, although Kneller alone remained Principal Painter. Dahl painted an equestrian portrait of Prince George for Windsor and portraits of Tories for the Queen. He died aged 84.
George Vertue was born in the parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London. His parents served in the court of James II and his father may have later become a tailor. He was first apprenticed to a silver engraver and later to Flemish engraver Michael Vandergucht. His early work includes plates after Kneller, whose academy he attended from 1711. Vertue served as official engraver to the Society of Antiquaries (1717-56). In the 1720s he concentrated on portrait frontispieces, producing over 120 in total. From 1727 he was engraver to Oxford University. Vertue was also a publisher and ran a print shop near Drury Lane. In 1712 he began gathering information for a publication on the history of art in Britain, which remained unfinished at his death.
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Explore
- Places
- Subjects
- vase (as Subject), male portrait, 18th century costume, ceremonial costume, wig, lace jabot, shoe, crown, Earl, sword, column, table (as Subject)
- Materials & Techniques
- engraving
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Details
- Title
- Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Mortimer (1689-1741) book collector and patron of the arts
- Date
- 1745
- Medium
- Engraving
- Acquisition
- Purchased from F B Daniell, August 1970
- GAC number
- 8765