Sir William Beechey

Inscriptionback to top

Incised: E.H. BAILY. R.A./Sculp^t London/1826.

This portraitback to top

The bust is almost certainly identical with that exhibited RA 1826 and offered to the NPG in 1937 by Warland Andrew of Abingdon who had bought it from the sale of Beechey's great-granddaughter, Mrs Commeline of Beaconsfield Rectory, presumably having descended to her as a family heirloom (W. Roberts, Sir William Beechey R.A., 1907, p 170 and letters in NPG archive). A plaster bust, presented by the sculptor to the RA in 1862 and recorded there by Gunnis (Robert Gunnis, Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851, 1953, p 34) in 1951, is missing from the RA collection.
The NPG bust shows Beechey unusually without his wig, bald and with side-whiskers. A complimentary oil painting of Baily by Beechey himself was exhibited RA 1829 (301), probably the portrait etched by Mrs Dawson Turner 1827.

Provenanceback to top

Probably family possession, then 'Woods at Wycombe', High Wycombe; A. & J. Stuart-Mobey, Oxford, and bought from there 1977.

Exhibitionsback to top

RA 1826 (1095).


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.

View all known portraits for Edward Hodges Baily

View all known portraits for Sir William Beechey