Sir Thomas More
21 of 50 portraits by Thomas Athow
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Sir Thomas More
attributed to Thomas Athow, after Hans Holbein the Younger
watercolour, early 19th century
12 1/8 in. x 8 1/4 in. (308 mm x 211 mm)
Purchased, 1895
Reference Collection
NPG D23246
Sitterback to top
- Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), Lord Chancellor; classical scholar; author of 'Utopia'; saint; canonised 1935. Sitter associated with 54 portraits.
Artistsback to top
- Thomas Athow (active 1806-1822), Artist. Artist or producer associated with 50 portraits.
- Hans Holbein the Younger (1497 or 1498-1543), Painter, printmaker and designer; son of Hans Holbein the Elder. Artist or producer associated with 310 portraits, Sitter associated with 25 portraits.
Portrait setback to top
Events of 1803back to top
Current affairs
The Vice Society is formally established by John Reeves and his associates to campaign against blasphemy and immorality, particularly that perpetrated by Thomas Paine and the Edinburgh Review.Art and science
Erasmus Darwin's Temple of Nature published posthumously. A scientific treaty in the form of an elaborate couplet poem, its content anticipated some of the evolutionary ideas developed by his grandson, Charles Darwin, fifty years later.Construction of the Caledonian Canal begins.
International
War with France resumes, sparking new fears of a cross-channel invasion.United Irishman, Robert Emmett's attempted uprising in Dublin. Planned to coincide with Napoleon's expected invasion, it aimed to overthrow the English administration but ended in failure. Emmett is hanged along with several other conspirators.
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.