Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton

This portraitback to top

Grafton was in Italy for a second time in 1761-62 accompanied by his Duchess; they travelled allegedly for the sake of her health, but the motif was more probably an attempt to retrieve a floundering marriage. They were in Rome from 1 February to 11 April 1762 when NPG 4899 was painted. In Turin the Duke had been privileged to wear the royal hunting uniform; here he wears that of the Suffolk militia. [1]
A version at Euston Hall, using the same face mask and scarf, attributed by Clark to the ‘Maron hand’, shows Grafton holding a halberd, his left hand on his right wrist. [2]

Footnotesback to top

1) For his tour of Italy see J. Ingamells, Dictionary of British and Irish Travellers in Italy 1701-1800, compiled from the Brinsley Ford Archive, 1997, pp 415-16.
2) See A. M. Clark, ed. E. P. Bowron, Pompeo Batoni, 1985, p 288.

Referenceback to top

Clark 1985
A. M. Clark, ed. E. P. Bowron, Pompeo Batoni, 1985, no.255.

Physical descriptionback to top

Blue eyes, dark hair, wearing the red coat with silver trim of the western batallion of the Suffolk Militia and holding a spontoon over his right shoulder.

Provenanceback to top

Commander Henry Forrester; his sale, Christie’s, 1 June 1934, lot 65, bought in; his sale, Christie’s, 15 June 1951, lot 126, bought in; Bearnes & Waycotts, Torquay, 25 July 1972, lot 438, bought Leggatt for the NPG.

Exhibitionsback to top

Faces as Art, NPG, 1976; Beningbrough 1979-.

Reproductionsback to top

Anon. 1805; J. Watson 1806; J. Cook 1845 (variant, without the spoontoon, his right hand in his vest).


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.

View all known portraits for Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton