Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea

1 portrait

Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea, by Sir Francis Grant, 1847 -NPG 1639 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Early Victorian Portraits Catalogue

Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea

by Sir Francis Grant
1847
56 1/4 in. x 44 in. (1429 mm x 1118 mm)
NPG 1639

This portraitback to top

Despite the fact that Lady Herbert referred to this picture as a replica of the portrait at Wilton (memorandum of October 1896, NPG archives), it is clear that the NPG picture is the original, and that the picture now at Wilton is the replica; this was confirmed by the late Earl of Pembroke. The NPG portrait was engraved by G. R. Ward, published P. and D. Colnaghi, 1847 (example in NPG). A posthumous portrait of Herbert by Grant is also at Wilton, inherited by Lady Herbert's grandson, Sir Sidney Herbert; correspondence relating to it is in the Wilton archives. In this latter portrait, clothes and setting are different (Herbert is shown in his study, for example), but the head, in pose and features, is almost identical to that in the NPG portrait.

Referenceback to top

Grant
Sir F. Grant, 'Sitters Book' (copy of original MS, NPG archives), under 1847.

Physical descriptionback to top

Healthy complexion, bluish eyes, brown hair. Dressed in a black stock, silver stock-pin and watch-chain, white shirt, black velvet(?) coat, black overcoat, and white gloves. Holding black top-hat and cane, standing in bluish and greenish-brown landscape. Sky near horizon orange and yellow, elsewhere bluish-grey.

Provenanceback to top

The sitter, presented by his son, the 14th Earl of Pembroke, in accordance with the wishes of his mother, Elizabeth, Lady Herbert of Lea, 1912.

Exhibitionsback to top

RA, 1847 (510); SKM, 1868 (478); VE, 1892 (90).


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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