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William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (Lord Shelburne)

1 of 68 portraits of William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne

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William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (Lord Shelburne)

after Sir Joshua Reynolds
oil on canvas, late 18th century, based on a work of 1766
29 1/2 in. x 24 1/2 in. (749 mm x 622 mm)
Given by the sitter's son, Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne, 1858
Primary Collection
NPG 43

Sitterback to top

Artistback to top

  • Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), Painter and first President of the Royal Academy. Artist or producer associated with 1421 portraits, Sitter associated with 39 portraits.

Related worksback to top

  • NPG D15788: William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (based on same portrait)
  • NPG D3536: William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (Lord Shelburne) (based on same portrait)
  • NPG D37169: William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne (based on same portrait)

Linked publicationsback to top

Subjects & Themesback to top

Events of 1766back to top

Current affairs

Charles Edward Stuart ('Bonnie Prince Charlie') becomes the new Stuart claimant to the throne of Great Britain and figurehead for Jacobitism on the death of his father James Stuart, Pretender since 1701.
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham is dismissed as Prime Minister and succeeded by William Pitt the Elder.
Stamp Act, passed the previous year, is repealed.

Art and science

Swiss painter Angelica Kauffmann settles in London.
Oliver Goldsmith publishes his novel The Vicar of Wakefield.
Chemist Henry Cavendish publishes his paper 'On Factitious Airs' which is generally credited with showing the discovery of hydrogen.
First golf club in England opens at Blackheath in Kent.
Christie's auction house is founded in London.

International

Navigator and Royal Navy officer John Byron returns to England after his circumnavigation of the globe; the first to be completed in under two years. He takes possession of the Falkland Islands on behalf of Britain during his voyage.
German writer Gotthold Ephraim Lessing publishes his important work of literary criticism Laokoon; An Essay on the Limits of Painting and Poetry.

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