Regency Portraits Catalogue

Henry Fuseli (1741-1825), Painter

Six of the main portraits of Fuseli are listed and illustrated with full-page plates in Gert Schiff, Johann Heinrich Füssli, Zürich, II, p 613.

1763
Black chalk drawing by Christian Rode in the Central Library, Zurich (reproduced Gert Schiff, Johann Heinrich Füssli, Zurich, 1973, p 49).

1776
Terracotta bust by J. T. Sergel in National Museum, Stockholm (reproduced in an article on Sergei by Oscar Antonssen, Burlington Magazine, December 1943, p 290).

1778-81
Oil self-portrait in conversation with Johann Jakob Bodmer, in Kunsthaus, Zurich, exhibited RA 1781 (141) and 'The Age of Neo-Classicism' V&A Museum 1972 (93), reproduced in colour in Schiff Gert Schiff, Johann Heinrich Füssli, Zurich, 1973, II, p 81 (366).

1778
Oil by Northcote (NPG 5469).

1779
Line engraving drawn and engraved by J. H. Lips as a plate for Lavater's Essai sur la Physiognomie, 1779; a copy was engraved by Bromley for the English edition (1804) and a small copy by Barlow, reversed, for the 1827 pocket edition. Lips had made 370 copper plates for Lavater's original German edition (1775-8) in which Fuseli had no place, and a further 230 for the Essai.

c.1779
Chalk self-portrait (NPG 4538).

Two other self-portraits of about this date, or slightly later, are in the V&A Museum, both illustrated in N. Powell, Drawings of Henry Fuseli, 1951, 42-3; one a head with chin resting on both hands was exhibited 'British Self-Portraits' Arts Council 1962 (47) and was used for a French commemorative medal struck in 1978 (Country Life, 16 November 1978).

A drawing formerly listed as NPG 3027 is now believed to represent Fuseli's friend the Swiss historian J. J. Bodmer.

1789
Oil by John Williamson in Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (reproduced Liverpool Bulletin, 8, 1959-60, p 9).

1793
Drawing by Dance in RA library, profile signed and dated: June 2nd 1793 Geo. Dance; a soft-ground etching was made by William Daniell but not among those published in the Collection of Portraits, 1814.

c.1794
Oil by Opie (NPG 744).

1795
Oil by Singleton, 'The Royal Academicians in General Assembly' at Burlington House; a large stipple engraving by Bestland was published in 1802.

c.1795
Black and red chalk drawing by Lawrence in British Museum (Laurence Binyon, Catalogue of Drawings by British Artists … in the British Museum, III, p 40, Kenneth Garlick, ‘Catalogue of Paintings, Drawings and Pastels of Sir Thomas Lawrence’ in Walpole Society Journal, XXXIX, 1964, p 227). Holloway's line engraving of 1796 is reproduced Gert Schiff, Johann Heinrich Füssli, Zurich, 1973, II, p 233.

1802
Miniature by Moses Haughton was exhibited RA 1802 (653) and noted by Farington, Diary, 26 February 1804; Haughton lodged with Fuseli and a stipple engraving of his miniature by Evans was 'publish'd as the Act directs March 1 1808 by Moses Haughton, Royal Academy, Somerset House'.
Haughton exhibited three further miniatures of Fuseli RA 1804 (701), 1808 (715) and 1813 (540); another of 1825 is in the Ashmolean Museum; one is mentioned by Leigh Hunt: 'his friend and engraver, Mr Haughton, drew an admirable likeness of him in this state of dignified extravagance. He is sitting back in his chair, leaning on his hand, but looking ready to pounce withal' (Autobiography, I, p 214).

1810
Drawing by Thomas Cooley (NPG 4913a).

1812
Ink drawing by Hayter in British Museum (Laurence Binyon, Catalogue of Drawings by British Artists … in the British Museum, II, p 281) inscribed: Henry Fusely Esq Keeper of the Royal Academy/Sketch GH - Jan 7 – 1812, head in profile to left wearing high-crowned hat, exhibited 'Portrait Drawings', British Museum, 1974 (181).

1816
C. R. Leslie in a letter to his sister drew a pen and ink sketch which 'though a little in caricature, gives some idea of him. His front face has very much the character of a lion' (Leslie, Autobiographical Recollections, II, p 56).

c.1817
Oil on panel by Harlow in Paul Mellon Collection, Yale, was exhibited RA 1817 (365), three-quarter-length seated inscribed: Henry Fuseli Esq, RA, Keeper at the Royal Academy and Professor of Painting, Painted and Exhibited at the Royal Academy 1817 by G. H. Harlow (reproduced Apollo, April 1977, p 251). This was described by Leslie as 'Harlow's small portrait of him is the most like: but it would have required a Reynolds to do justice to the intelligence of his fine head. His keen eye, of the most transparent blue, I shall never forget' (Leslie, Autobiographical Recollections, I, p 39).
A copy of this, in a Kent private collection, has a lavishly incised inscription on the back of the panel ending: … painted from the life by/George Henry Harlow/in May 1818 for me/Robert Balmanno. An enamel copy by J. W. Higham was lent to the Burlington Fine Arts Club Miniatures Exhibition 1889 by Jeffery Whitehead.

1820-5
Soft-ground etching 'Drawn from the life by W. Brown'.

Blue and grey wash drawing by G. S. Newton at Sotheby's 18 December 1963 (176 ascribed to Nollekens); he wears a hat similar to that in Hayter's drawing of 1812; a stipple by F. C. Lewis bears the facsimile of a shaky signature: Hy Fuseli.

1824
Marble bust by E. H. Baily exhibited RA 1824 (1019); stipple by T. Thomson engraved from a drawing by Corbould and published in The European Magazine, 1 March 1825.

1825
Oil by Lawrence (1825 but finished by Jackson for Peel 1830) in Musée Bonnat, Bayonne (reproduced Gert Schiff, Johann Heinrich Füssli, Zurich, 1973, II, p 479); this was probably in the Peel Heirloom sale Robinson & Fisher 10 May 1900 (254); Lane's sketch of the head was given to Jackson 10 June 1829 (Lane's MS Account Books, I, p 20).

According to Cunningham, Lawrence's 'Satan' figure in Burlington House is a portrait of Fuseli standing on a rock above the Bristol Channel - 'You put yourself in a wild posture; I thought on the Devil looking into the abyss and took a slight sketch of you at the moment: here it is' (Cunningham, Lives, VI, p 181).

1826
Intaglio gem by C. H. Weigall; an impression was exhibited RA 1826.



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.