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Benjamin West

19 of 747 portraits matching these criteria:

- subject matching 'Chalk'

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Benjamin West

by Angelica Kauffmann
black chalk on greenish grey paper, 1763
16 1/2 in. x 12 1/2 in. (419 mm x 318 mm)
Given by Percy Fitzgerald, 1912
Primary Collection
NPG 1649

Sitterback to top

  • Benjamin West (1738-1820), History painter and President of the Royal Academy. Sitter associated with 43 portraits, Artist or producer associated with 39 portraits.

Artistback to top

  • Angelica Kauffmann (1741-1807), Painter. Artist or producer associated with 23 portraits, Sitter in 9 portraits.

This portraitback to top

Angelica Kauffman became friends with the artist Benjamin West in Rome around 1762 and they made drawings of each other. Kauffman painted West around the same time, and this image may be an early study for the painting, although West's clothes are different in the final portrait. In this drawing, he wears a fanciful 'van Dyck' costume. Pompeo Batoni, one of Rome's leading artists, often depicted British visitors to the city in similar dress when they came to Italy on their Grand Tour of Europe.

Linked publicationsback to top

  • Rogers, Malcolm, Master Drawings from the National Portrait Gallery, 1993 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 5 August to 23 October 1994), p. 49
  • Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 654
  • Walker, Richard, Regency Portraits, 1985, p. 543

Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top

Events of 1763back to top

Current affairs

John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute resigns as Prime Minister following sustained attacks in the press and parliament. He is succeeded by George Grenville.
Radical John Wilkes is arrested for attacking the king in his weekly satirical publication The North Briton. His arrest is declared illegal by Chief Justice Pratt and he is released, though expelled from Parliament.


Art and science

Biographer James Boswell is introduced to the writer Samuel Johnson for the first time at Thomas Davies's bookshop in Covent Garden, London.
Josiah Wedgwood receives orders for his pottery from Queen Charlotte. He names his range of pottery 'Queen's Ware' after her.
American painter Benjamin West settles in London, where he becomes famous for his large-scale history scenes.

International

Pontiac, an Ottawa chief, leads an uprising of the Indian tribes in America in an attempt to drive the British east. Royal Proclamation of 1763 is made by George III, regulating westward expansion of British North America.
Seven Years' War: Treaty of Paris between Britain, France, Spain and Portugal and Treaty of Hubertusburg between Prussia and Austria end the Seven Years' War, leaving Britain in control of Canada, India and much of the Caribbean.



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