Early Georgian Portraits Catalogue: Young

Edward Young (1683-1765)

Poet; born at Upham, near Winchester; attended New College and Corpus Christi College, Oxford; received law fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford, 1708; DCL, 1719; friend of Thomas Tickell and George Bubb Dodington (Baron Melcombe), and member of Addison's literary circle; gained patronage of Wharton; wrote Busiris, and the Revenge,produced at Drury Lane, 1719-21; published series of satires, The Universal Passion, 1725; chaplain to George II, 1728; Rector of Welwyn, 1730; married Lady Elizabeth Lee, daughter of the second Earl of Lichfield, 1731; published, 1742, The Complaint; or Night Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality, The Brothers (tragedy), 1753; his collected works published, 1757-78, seven vols.

1244 Called Edward Young, by an unknown artist
Oil on panel, 10 ¼ x 8 1/8 in. (260 x 206 mm), oval with straight edges; hazel eyes, dark grey brows, red lips, grey wig, florid complexion; black academic dress with white bands; buff background shading to brown. An inscription in an early 19th century hand (?) gives a brief biography of Young on the back of the panel.

As a likeness NPG 1244 is empty. Inpose it somewhat resembles those derivative engravings which became current in the later 1770s, appearing in Bell's British Poets, 1777, and Johnson's editions of the poets.

Condition:cleaned and restored, December 1899.

Collections:bought, 1899, from Rev. F.G. Lee, grandson of Rev. Timothy Tripp Lee (d.1840), vicar of Thame.

Exhibited:'Royal House of Guelph', New Gallery, 1891 (1267), lent by Rev. F.G. Lee.

Iconography

The only known authentic likeness of Young is Highmore's portrait at All Souls, Oxford, painted at the end of 1754 for Samuel Richardson, by whose widow it was presented to the college. Richardson wrote to Highmore, 'I have obtained of Dr. Young what none of his Friends have hitherto been able to obtain—that he will sit to the pensil'. [1] The portrait was engraved by W.C. Edwards, T. Cook and others. Some of the engravings are so remote from the original that they were not recognised as derivatives by the painter's grandson. [2]

Notes

1. See T.C. Duncan Eaves, 'Joseph Highmore's Portrait of the Reverend Edward Young', Studies in Philology, XLIII, no.4, 1946, pp.668-74. For Highmore's portraits of Richardson, see this sitter, above.
2. Ibid, p.672.