5 OF 8

King George I

5 of 8 portraits on display in the Hall at Beningbrough Hall

King George I

replica by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt
oil on canvas, 1716 (1714)
97 1/4 in. x 59 3/4 in. (2470 mm x 1518 mm)
Purchased, 1978
Primary Collection
NPG 5174

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Sitterback to top

King George I (1660-1727), Reigned 1714-27. Sitter associated with 52 portraits.

Artistback to top

Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt (1646-1723), Portrait painter. Artist associated with 1666 portraits, Sitter associated with 30 portraits.

This portraitback to top

The purpose of royal portraiture was not individual depiction but the representation of power. Artists conveyed this symbolically using traditional poses and symbols: crown, scepter, orb and ermine robes of state. This repetition helped assert the continuity of the royals. Although not great art patrons, such propaganda was important to George I and his son George II. In order to ensure a Protestant succession these Hanoverian rulers, from Germany, had come to the British throne in 1714. They faced constant challenge from the rebellious Catholic Jacobites until thy were quashed in 1745.