Portraits in the Characters of the Muses in the Temple of Apollo
1 portrait matching these criteria:
- npg number matching '4905'
Portraits in the Characters of the Muses in the Temple of Apollo
by Richard Samuel
oil on canvas, 1778
52 in. x 61 in. (1321 mm x 1549 mm)
Purchased, 1972
Primary Collection
NPG 4905
Artist
Richard Samuel (floruit 1770-died 1787). Artist of 2 portraits.
Sitters
Anna Letitia Barbauld (née Aikin) (1743-1825), Poet and writer. Sitter in 6 portraits.
Elizabeth Carter (1717-1806), Scholar and writer. Sitter associated with 9 portraits.
Elizabeth Griffith (1727-1793), Playwright and novelist. Sitter in 3 portraits.
Angelica Kauffmann (1741-1807), Painter. Sitter in 5 portraits, Artist associated with 15 portraits.
Charlotte Lennox (née Ramsay) (1720-1804), Writer. Sitter in 3 portraits.
Catharine Macaulay (née Sawbridge) (1731-1791), Historian. Sitter in 17 portraits.
Elizabeth Montagu (née Robinson) (1718-1800), Writer and leader of society. Sitter in 11 portraits.
Hannah More (1745-1833), Religious writer. Sitter in 8 portraits.
Elizabeth Ann Sheridan (née Linley) (1754-1792), Singer; first wife of Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Sitter in 11 portraits.
This Portrait
In 1779 Richard Samuel exhibited this painting at the Royal Academy. Leading 'bluestockings' of the day are portrayed as the nine muses, the daughters of Zeus who each presided over a different art. Elizabeth Sheridan (née Linley), the singer, stands in the centre playing on a lyre. To the left, the artist Angelica Kauffmann is seated at an easel and the writers Elizabeth Carter and Anna Barbauld stand behind her. To the right are grouped the writer Charlotte Lennox, the historian Catherine McCauley (holding a parchment), the writer Hannah More, the society leader Elizabeth Montagu and the playwright and novelist Elizabeth Griffith (with a tablet).
Related Works
NPG x126319: Modern Muses of Great Britain (based on)
Linked Publications
Elizabeth Eger and Lucy Peltz, Brilliant Women: 18th Century Bluestockings, 2008 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 13 March - 15 June 2008), p. 60
Ingamells, John, Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, p. 515
Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 721
Uglow, Jenny, Character Sketches: Dr Johnson, His Club and Other Friends, 1998, p. 9
Uglow, Jenny, Character Sketches: Dr Johnson, His Club and Other Friends, 1998, p. 33
Subjects & Themes
Allegory in portraits
Art in art
Carpets and textiles
Foreign Lands
Group portraits
In profile
Making art
Making music
Shadows
