John Hamilton Mortimer with a student

John Hamilton Mortimer with a student, by John Hamilton Mortimer, circa 1765 -NPG 234 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Mid-Georgian Portraits Catalogue

John Hamilton Mortimer with a student

after John Hamilton Mortimer
circa 1765
29 in. x 24 in. (737 mm x 610 mm)
NPG 234

This portraitback to top

A pedantic copy of Mortimer’s somewhat incomplete Self portrait with Joseph Wilton and a Student of c.1765 (Royal Academy), [1] with the figure of Wilton omitted. The setting is possibly the sculpture gallery of the Duke of Richmond in Whitehall which Wilton directed; Mortimer copied there from 1758 until c.1762 and the classical bust carried by the boy resembles the Chrysippos type. [2]
A copy of NPG 234, previously recorded, is now untraced. [3]

Footnotesback to top

1) J. Sunderland, 'John Hamilton Mortimer, his Life and Works', Wal. Soc., LII, 1986, no.32, fig.49. Mortimer’s head alone engraved A. Van Assen 1810.
2) Cf. G. A. Richter, The Portraits of the Greeks, 1984 ed., pp 101-08.
3) J. Sunderland, 'John Hamilton Mortimer, his Life and Works', Wal. Soc., LII, 1986, p 132, under no.32.

Referenceback to top

Sunderland 1986
J. Sunderland, 'John Hamilton Mortimer, his Life and Works', Wal. Soc., LII, 1986, no.32a.

Physical descriptionback to top

The seated Mortimer has brown eyes, dark hair, wearing a light grey coat, brown breeches and grey stockings; the boy has brown eyes, dark hair and wears a red waistcoat and grey coat; a green folder stands by the chair.

Provenanceback to top

R. Twining 1857; Miss Elizabeth Twining, by whom presented 1867.

Exhibitionsback to top

Art Treasures, Manchester, 1857 (modern masters 88) lent R. Twining; Artists at Work, 1981-82 (6).


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 John Hamilton Mortimer