William Congreve

This portraitback to top

The head depends upon the Kneller kit-cat portrait, but NPG 67 appears not to be by Kneller himself.

Referenceback to top

Piper 1963
D. Piper, Catalogue of the Seventeenth Century Portraits in the National Portrait Gallery 1625-1714, 1963, p 81.

Provenanceback to top

The 5th Earl of Bessborough; his sale, 2nd day, 11 July 1850, lot 166, bought Barker; G. Barker, from whom purchased 1859.<sup>1

1</sup> This, or another, in the Bessborough sale, 3rd day, 7 February 1801, lot 2 (a Head of Congreve by Kneller, bought ‘D o D’, £11.0.6).

Exhibitionsback to top

Royal Dublin Society, Dublin 1861, no.493, and 1872, ‘National Portrait Gallery’ no.145; Liverpool 1958, no.29; Voltaire, musée de l’Ile de France, Château de Sceaux, 1978; Beningbrough 1978–.


This extended catalogue entry is from the National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Later Stuart Portraits 1685–1714, National Portrait Gallery, 2009, 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 William Congreve

View all known portraits for Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt