Early Victorian Portraits Catalogue

Michael William Balfe (1808-1870), Composer

A painting by an unknown artist, and a marble medallion by L. A. Malempré, are in the Irish Academy of Music, exhibited Dublin Exhibition, 1872, 'Portraits' (443 and 269); drawings by D. Maclise of c.1844, and by J. Wood are in the Irish NPG, the former exhibited Daniel Maclise, Arts Council at the NPG, 1972 (45); another drawing by Wood was sold Christie's, 5 February 1889 (lot 58), sketch in NPG sale catalogue; a drawing and a miniature, both by unknown artists, were sold at Christie's, 22 February 1889 (lot 1), bought Hodges, and (lot 37), bought by the sitter's son; a marble bust by Sir T. Farrell is in the Irish NPG, reproduced as a woodcut ILN, LXXXIII (1878), 513; a bust by J. E. Jones was exhibited RA, 1846 (1508) - 'to be executed in marble'; a marble statue by L. A. Malempré is in the Drury Lane Theatre, exhibited RA, 1874 (1506), reproduced as a woodcut ILN, LXV (1874), 373; a medallion by an unknown artist is in Westminster Abbey, reproduced W. A. Barrett, Balfe, his Life and Work (1882), p 292; a memorial window by Ballantine is in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin; there are various lithographs and etchings (examples in NPG, Harvard Theatre Collection, and British Museum); an etching by an unknown artist is reproduced T. Russell, The Proms (1949), p 16; a lithograph by Prinzhofer was published C. L. Kenney, A Memoir of W. M. Balfe (1875), frontispiece; a woodcut was published ILN, III (1843), 124; there is a photograph in the NPG, and woodcuts of others.


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: Richard Ormond, Early Victorian Portraits, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1973, 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.