Humphrey Wanley
(1672-1726), Librarian and antiquaryLater Stuart Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter in 8 portraits
Wanley was one of the earliest serious scholars of the Anglo-Saxon language and his work is still revered by mediaeval scholars. Through his cataloguing work and research, he helped lay the ground for the study of early English literature and culture. He began his antiquarian career in 1694, seeking out collections of manuscripts for inclusion in the Catalogi librorum manuscriptorum Angliae et Hiberniae, being compiled at Oxford University. Wanley subsequently studied at, but did not graduate from Oxford. He was appointed assistant at the Bodleian Library in 1695, a post that he held for five years. During that time he produced a catalogue of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts that remained the standard work for over two centuries.
by Thomas Hill
oil on canvas, feigned oval, 1717
NPG 579
by and published by John Smith, after Thomas Hill
mezzotint, 1718 (1717)
NPG D38529
by and published by John Smith, after Thomas Hill
mezzotint, 1718 (1717)
NPG D4621
by and published by John Smith, after Thomas Hill
mezzotint, 1718 (1717)
NPG D4622
by and published by John Smith, after Thomas Hill
mezzotint, 1718 (1717)
NPG D11665
by and published by John Smith, after Thomas Hill
mezzotint, 1718 (1717)
NPG D19241
by Robert Grave, after Thomas Hill
line engraving, published 1819
NPG D27602
by Abraham Wivell, after Thomas Hill
mezzotint, 1819
NPG D4623
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.