Sir William Temple, Bt

Inscriptionback to top

Inscribed, lower right: S. WILLIAM TEMPLE.

This portraitback to top

The original Lely at Broadlands [1] differs from NPG 152 in showing his left hand supporting drapery against his breast, as do other versions of the portrait formerly at Chicksands Priory [2] and at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. [3] In 1871 Scharf noted a portrait similar to NPG 152 at Cobham Hall [4] and a reversed bust-length miniature enamel copy was at Spixworth. [5] A three-quarter-length version, showing a paper in his left hand inscribed Triple Alliance/1663, was in the Wrest Park sale, Christie’s, 16 November 1917, lot 16. [6]

Footnotesback to top

1) R. B. Beckett, Lely, 1951, no.531. Exhibited British Institution 1820, no.42, and 1846, no.71; Third and concluding Exhibition of National Portraits ( ... fortieth year of the reign of George the third to MDCCCLXVII), South Kensington, 1868, no.743 lent Viscountess Palmerston; Age of Charles II, RA, 1960, no.67; Orange and the Rose 1964, no.39; O. Millar, Sir Peter Lely, exhibition catalogue, NPG, 1978, no.36. Engraved P. Vandrebanc 1679, G. Vertue 1719 (D. Alexander, ‘George Vertue as an Engraver’, Wal. Soc., LXX, 2008, no.298) and J. Houbraken 1738 (as collection John Temple).
2) Listed at Classiebawn (the Irish home of the Mountbattens) in 1951 as a copy. Now probably at Moor Park.
3) A copy acquired in 1753; F. Stubbings, Catalogue of the Portraits at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, 1988, no.17.
4) Sir George Scharf’s Sketch Books, 86:25A with a written note ‘same as NPG’. Not identified in the Cobham sales, Christie’s, 1 May 1925, or Sotheby’s, 23 July 1957. Other versions of the Lely type, varying greatly in quality, sold Phillips, 26 April 1982, lot 90, and 1 June 1982, lot 108. A small gouache version sold Bonham’s, 22 October 1992, lot 23 as after Lely.
5) Examined in the NPG 1911, MS Descriptions of Portraits, X, no.43, property of F. D. Longe of Coddenham/Spixworth Park; Prince Frederick Duleep Singh, Portraits in Norfolk Houses, II, p 318 (at Spixworth Park), no.64 as by Jean Petitot.
6) A half-length watercolour copy by G. P. Harding was in the Northwick Park sale, Christie’s, 25 May 1965, lot 246.

Referenceback to top

Piper 1963
D. Piper, Catalogue of the Seventeenth Century Portraits in the National Portrait Gallery 1625-1714, 1963, p 340.

Provenanceback to top

Henry Graves, from whom purchased 1862.

Exhibitionsback to top

De Stadhouder-Koning, Amsterdam, 1950, no.298.


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.

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