Richard Wilson

Inscriptionback to top

Inscribed verso: A Correct Likeness/of Richd. Wilson/af [sic] Mengs of Rome/1756.

This portraitback to top

A weak half length taken from the Mengs portrait of 1752, see NPG 1803; the inscription (copied onto the lining canvas) is probably an inaccurate indication of the source, rather than the date of the copy (although Constable assumed otherwise).

Referenceback to top

Constable 1953
W. G. Constable, Richard Wilson, 1953, pp 67-69 (‘Portraits and Self-portraits of Wilson’).

Roettgen 1999
S. Roettgen, Mengs, 1999, no.236 (K3, WK5).<sup>1

1</sup> A slightly confused account, giving two entries for NPG 1305 and one for the Mengs portrait of Charles Hanbury Williams, NPG 383.

Physical descriptionback to top

Clear grey eyes; red and green head scarf, wearing a deep brown coat.

Provenanceback to top

Purchased from Mrs Hughes¹ 1901.

¹ A farmer’s wife from near Caerwys, Clwyd; her father bought the picture in Clwyd ‘many years ago at a sale’ (P. B. Davies-Corke to Cust, 14 August 1901; NPG archive).


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.

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