William Wake

This portraitback to top

The coats of arms (which are not added) and the provenance as given by Rodd confirm the identity. Otherwise NPG 22 shows no great similarity to other Wake portraits, while another portrait by Hill of Bishop George Hooper, signed and dated 1723 (and engraved by G. White), almost exactly repeats the composition of NPG 22 but with a different head. [1]
It seems possible that the rather uneven finish in NPG 22 is due to Hill having initially copied the Hooper portrait. This would suggest a date of c.1725 for NPG 22.

Footnotesback to top

1) See J. Ingamells, The English Episcopal Portrait 1559-1835, catalogue, 1981, pp 226-27, illus. The Rev. F. O. White insistently advised Scharf that NPG 22 showed Hooper (letters on file of 12, 13 September, 27 October, 5, 8, 18 November 1870, and 2 January 1871; and see Sancroft NPG 301).

Provenanceback to top

Wake family of Northants.;¹ B. H. Bright 1840;² Walter Rodd, London, from whom purchased 1857.

¹ According to Walter Rodd (letter of 17 November 1857 on file); presumably the Wake Bts. from Courteenhall, Northants.
² An old label, verso, reads: B.H.[?] Bright Esq. November 6 1840, no.6.


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 Wake