Regency Portraits Catalogue

George Dance (1741-1825), Architect and portrait draughtsman

c.1753
Oil attributed to Nathaniel Dance (his brother) in family collection, whole-length aged about 12 playing a flute with his sister Hester, lent to Kenwood Exhibition 1977 (1) by Miss Hester Smith.

c.1760
Oil attributed to Tempesti with Appleby Bros in 1963, as a young painter with palette and brushes behind a harp-player, reproduced Country Life, 13 July 1963, p 1445, identity doubtful.

1776
Pencil caricature self-portrait lent to Kenwood 1977 (40) by David Goodreau, whole-length inscribed: George Dance Excused at Mr Jordans 1776.

1793
Pencil drawing by William Hodges in RA library, head and shoulders profile to left, signed and dated March 10th 1793 (Connoisseur, CC, 1979, p 85).

Pencil and red crayon drawing by Nathaniel Dance in private collection Dorset, signed and dated April 1793, engraved as soft-ground etching by William Daniel, 1 March 1825; a copy on paper watermarked 1804 was at Sotheby's 24 July 1980 (9).

1795
Pencil self-portrait in Ashmolean Museum, head and shoulders profile to left signed and dated: Sept 13th 1795/Geo: Dance/se ipse (last two words indistinctly).

Oil by Singleton in RA, 'The Royal Academicians in General Assembly', signed and dated 1795; Dance is included though he had originally refused to sit because architects were to be relegated to the background (Farington, Diary, 29 November and 18 December 1794).

1812
Oil by Lawrence in Guildhall Art Gallery, London, head and shoulders reproduced in colour Connoisseur, XL, 1914, p 111; mentioned in Farington, Diary, 8 April 1812; a watercolour miniature by William Dance (his son) exhibited RA 1857 (716) was clearly based on the Lawrence.

1814
Pencil and chalk self-portrait (NPG 2812).

c.1819
Oil by Jackson in Leicester Art Gallery, exhibited RA 1819 (12), engraved in mezzotint by S. W. Reynolds 1820 (Alfred Whitman, S. W. Reynolds, 1903).

1821
Portrait by Comerford listed in Sitter Book 'June 18 Mr Dance no.20 £10.13.9'.

1827
Marble bust by Rossi in Royal Academy, deposited in plaster as his diploma work (1802) but incised: C. ROSSI. R.A. 1827, exhibited RA Bicentenary, 1968-9 (104).



This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: Richard Walker, Regency Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, 1985, 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.