Regency Portraits Catalogue
Joseph Grimaldi (1778-1837), Entertainer
- Gallery portraits
- All known portraits
- Biography and References
Lillian Hall, Catalogue of Dramatic Portraits in … Harvard College Library lists 66 prints of Grimaldi, mainly in character as Clown. Most of these are also in the National Theatre Collection and in the Percival Collection in the British Library. A large number are reproduced in Richard Findlater's Grimaldi King of Clowns, 1978.
Paintings and drawings are arranged alphabetically as follows:
c.1810
Drawing and lithograph by H. Brown; Brown was a musician in the Sadlers Wells orchestra and made a magnificent colour print of the Clown off-stage in 1812 (Richard Findlater, Grimaldi King of Clowns, 1978, p 140); he also produced a print of Grimaldi sitting on stage at his farewell benefit at Drury Lane 27 June 1828.
1828
Drawing by Cruikshank 'Grimaldi's Last Appearance June 1828', Christie's 29 May 1970 (77).
Oil on panel by De Wilde formerly in the Burdett-Coutts sale Christie's 4 May 1922 (306) was offered to the NPG in 1971, head and shoulders in dark coat, white waistcoat, striped shirt, white bow-tie.
Watercolour drawing by T. K. Grimshaw in Museum of London, in his favourite dance of 'Fun and Physic'.
Drawing by T. Raven engraved by Greatbach as plate in Grimaldi's Memoirs, 1838.
1819
Watercolour drawing by J. E. T. Robinson in Garrick Club (277), half-length seated in blue coat and white waistcoat, signed and dated 1819.
1820
Drawing by Wageman, engraved by Blood 1820.
Oil by unknown artist in Garrick Club, head and shoulders in dark blue coat, fur collar, gold-braid frogs, holding a silver porte-crayon.
Grimaldi's reputed Clown costume is in the Museum of London. A quantity of 'Grimaldi ware', polychrome pottery figurines of which the best perhaps is a pepperpot of Joey in Clown costume with knock-knees and arms akimbo, are in the British Museum, V&A Museum and National Theatre Collections.
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.
Paintings and drawings are arranged alphabetically as follows:
c.1810
Drawing and lithograph by H. Brown; Brown was a musician in the Sadlers Wells orchestra and made a magnificent colour print of the Clown off-stage in 1812 (Richard Findlater, Grimaldi King of Clowns, 1978, p 140); he also produced a print of Grimaldi sitting on stage at his farewell benefit at Drury Lane 27 June 1828.
1828
Drawing by Cruikshank 'Grimaldi's Last Appearance June 1828', Christie's 29 May 1970 (77).
Oil on panel by De Wilde formerly in the Burdett-Coutts sale Christie's 4 May 1922 (306) was offered to the NPG in 1971, head and shoulders in dark coat, white waistcoat, striped shirt, white bow-tie.
Watercolour drawing by T. K. Grimshaw in Museum of London, in his favourite dance of 'Fun and Physic'.
Drawing by T. Raven engraved by Greatbach as plate in Grimaldi's Memoirs, 1838.
1819
Watercolour drawing by J. E. T. Robinson in Garrick Club (277), half-length seated in blue coat and white waistcoat, signed and dated 1819.
1820
Drawing by Wageman, engraved by Blood 1820.
Oil by unknown artist in Garrick Club, head and shoulders in dark blue coat, fur collar, gold-braid frogs, holding a silver porte-crayon.
Grimaldi's reputed Clown costume is in the Museum of London. A quantity of 'Grimaldi ware', polychrome pottery figurines of which the best perhaps is a pepperpot of Joey in Clown costume with knock-knees and arms akimbo, are in the British Museum, V&A Museum and National Theatre Collections.
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.