Sir William Boxall

This portraitback to top

According to a letter from Sir F. W. Burton (3 January 1880, when the portrait was first offered, NPG archives):

'The portrait in question was laid in from a large & excellent photograph by Caldesi, which Boxall had had done - but of which the negative was unfortunately broken, so that I believe it yielded but one impression. The painter had sittings from Boxall to complete his portrait. The head only remained unfinished.'
According to the donor, who was Boxall's secretary for a time, Pittatore obtained two sittings from the artist in 1870. Pittatore was born at Asti in Piedmont around 1810-20, and came to England in 1862, where he worked for a time as an assistant to R. Lehmann and Boxall, helping to prepare replicas. He painted portraits of several musicians, and also portraits of Mrs R. Sassoon, Sir Moses Montefiore, and the Hon Arthur Kinnaird, the latter exhibited RA, 1869 (93). A portrait of Lord Napier of Magdala, painted in one sitting in 1869, was also offered to the NPG by Dr Sacchi, but declined. Pittatore returned to Italy in 1872, where he continued to paint. This information is contained in two letters from the vendor of 19 July 1890 and 19 November 1892 (NPG archives).

Physical descriptionback to top

Brown eyes, brown hair, grey whiskers. Dressed in a black stock, white shirt, dark brown waistcoat and coat, holding a painting-brush(?). Background colour brown.

Provenanceback to top

Dr Federico Sacchi, first offered by him, 1880, and finally purchased, 1892.


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.

View all known portraits for Sir William Boxall