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Joseph René Bellot

16 of 64 portraits by Stephen Pearce

Joseph René Bellot, by Stephen Pearce, 1851 -NPG 1227 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Early Victorian Portraits Catalogue

Joseph René Bellot

by Stephen Pearce
1851
15 1/4 in. x 12 1/2 in. (387 mm x 318 mm)
NPG 1227

This portraitback to top

This portrait was painted shortly before Bellot sailed on his last voyage, in search of Franklin, in 1851. It was engraved by J. Scott, published T. Boys, London, and E. Gambart, Paris, 1854 (example in NPG). The engraving was dedicated to Napoleon III, which resulted in an audience for Pearce at the Tuileries on 16 April 1854. The portrait is mentioned in several journals of the day, Athenaeum, 15 July 1854, Morning Herald, 3 July 1854, and Daily News, July 1854. Bellot is wearing the naval uniform of a French lieutenant, the Légion d'Honneur (officer, 4th Class) and the Arctic Medal (1818-55).

Referenceback to top

Pearce 1903
S. Pearce, Memories of the Past (1903), pp 51, 159-61.

Physical descriptionback to top

Dark brown eyes, hair, and whiskers. Dressed in a dark stock, white shirt, white waistcoat and dark blue naval uniform with gilt buttons and epaulettes, silver medal, and white enamel star, with coloured ribbons. Background colour dark grey.

Exhibitionsback to top

RA, 1854 (1287); Royal Naval Exhibition, Chelsea, 1891 (54).


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: Richard Ormond, Early Victorian Portraits, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1973, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.

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