Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope

by Jonathan Richardson
oil on canvas, circa 1737
24 1/8 in. x 18 in. (613 mm x 457 mm)
Given by Alfred A. de Pass, 1898
Primary Collection
NPG 1179

Sitter

Alexander Pope (1688-1744), Poet. Sitter associated with 39 portraits.

Artist

Jonathan Richardson (1667-1745), Portrait painter. Artist associated with 109 portraits, Sitter associated with 8 portraits.

This Portrait

The poet Alexander Pope was first noticed by Jacob Tonson who published his Pastorals in 1709. With The Rape of the Lock, (1712), and his translations of Homer, Pope soon became the most formidable literary figure of his day, with a large circle of friends and enemies. Primarily a satirical poet and of unsurpassed metrical skill, he wrote 'what oft was thought but ne'er so well expressed'. Pope, who took a serious interest in painting, had known Richardson for almost a decade when the artist made this classically-inspired portrait of him in profile wearing a laurel wreath. The remarkable rococo frame, which dates from around 1750, has sides ornamented with water rushes and rocaille ornament and a shell-crested top.

Linked Publications

The National Portrait Gallery, 1997, p. 91
Kerslake, John, Early Georgian Portraits, 1977, p. 214
Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery: an illustrated guide, 2000, p. 90
Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery, 1997, p. 90
Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 500
Simon, Jacob, The Art of the Picture Frame: Artists, Patrons and the Framing of Portraits in Britain, 1997 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 8 November 1996 - 9 February 1997), p. 64
Woof, Robert; Hebron, Stephen, Romantic Icons, 1999, p. 3

Subjects & Themes

Hats and head-attire
In profile