James Bruce

1 portrait

James Bruce, by John Smart, 1776 -NPG 5008 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Mid-Georgian Portraits Catalogue

James Bruce

by John Smart
1776
1 1/2 in. x 1 1/4 in. (38 mm x 32 mm) oval
NPG 5008

Inscriptionback to top

Signed above the sitter’s right shoulder J S/1776 in black. The back of the gold frame is copiously, and rather incoherently, inscribed with a description of Bruce's travels in Latin.1

1 Europa Asia Africa peragratis extrema rerum usque fontes Nili pervenit. Inde per Nubiae deserta reversus est Altiora Aggressurus si quid superfuisset. Semel naufragium passus in terram Natavit semel ex Acie Vulneratus Excessit. Ter caeso excercitu Incolumi evasit. Hic Amor et Virtus Comitas & Fides tantis Laboribus finem Posuere & Premium [he travelled through Europe, Asia and Africa to the source of the Nile. Thence he explored the Nubian desert. He swam ashore from shipwreck and was wounded in battle. Three times he survived hostile attacks. After such extraordinary experiences he is now rewarded with virtue, friendship and trust.]

Referenceback to top

Walker 1998
R. J. B. Walker, A Catalogue of paintings, drawings, engravings and sculpture in The Palace of Westminster compiled during 1959-77, 4 vols., 1988, [type-script in NPG archive], no.65.

Physical descriptionback to top

Brown eyes, powdered club wig, lilac waistcoat and jacket with a lace neckcloth.

Provenanceback to top

Alfred Hill; Sotheby’s, 13 May 1942, lot 84, bought Berry;1 E. Grosvenor Paine, Mississippi, who sold it to J. D. Goetze, Kansas City, c.1952-53; Sotheby’s, 25 November 1974, lot 165, unsold; purchased from Sotheby’s, with the aid of a donation from A. J. B. Kiddell, 1974.

1 The NPG were the underbidders.

Reproductionsback to top

R. Stainer 1790 lettered James Bruce of Kinnaird Lord of Geesh, vitam imprendere veo (European Mag.); anon. late 18th century.


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, National Portrait Gallery, 2004, 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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