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William Warburton

1 of 11 portraits of William Warburton

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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William Warburton

by Charles Philips
oil on canvas, circa 1737
49 3/8 in. x 39 1/2 in. (1254 mm x 1003 mm)
Purchased, 1857
Primary Collection
NPG 23

Sitterback to top

  • William Warburton (1698-1779), Bishop of Gloucester, critic and writer. Sitter associated with 11 portraits.

Artistback to top

  • Charles Philips (1708-1747), Artist. Artist or producer associated with 18 portraits.

This portraitback to top

Warburton is writing on a paper headed, The divine Legation of Moses, concerning the truth of Christianity, the first part of which was published in 1737. No other version is known. The inscription as Bishop Warburton must be of 1759 or later. More detailed information on this portrait is available in a National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue, John Kerslake's Early Georgian Portraits (1977, out of print).

Linked publicationsback to top

Subjects & Themesback to top

Events of 1737back to top

Current affairs

Death of Queen Caroline, wife of George II, on 20 November.
Frederick, Prince of Wales quarrels with his father. The king expels him from court for criticising the government.
Theatrical Licensing Act introduces censorship, requiring plays to be submitted to the Lord Chancellor for approval and reducing the number of theatres.

Art and science

French portrait-painter Jean-Baptiste Van Loo arrives in England where he soon attracts prominent sitters such as Robert Walpole, Colley Cibber and William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield.
Venus passes in front of Mercury and is witnessed by amateur astronomer John Bevis at the Royal Greenwich Observatory. It remains the only such planetary occlusion that has been directly observed.

International

Colonist William Byrd founds Richmond, Virginia.
French Académie Royale de Peintre et de Sculpture begins its programme of public exhibitions.
Florence loses her independence when the last Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany dies.


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Heather stowell

15 July 2021, 04:18

Happy to say this is my Great Grandfather on maternal side. Having never seen or heard anything about my history this is really exciting for me. Thank you