Giovanni Battista Belzoni

Inscriptionback to top

Dated in pencil top right: May 1823.
A letter from Belzoni from Egyptian Hall 3 May 1821 accompanies the drawing in the Brockedon Album.

This portraitback to top

Brockedon's drawing is the first in the Album but despite the date, May 1823, it relates closely to Wells's bronze medal struck in 1818. Belzoni left England early in 1823 (he was in Paris by February) on his last expedition where he died of dysentery in West Africa 3 December 1823. Presumably Brockedon, anxious to begin the Album, acquired a copy of the medal and made his drawing which was used for the lithograph published in June 1824.

Reproductionsback to top

Lithograph 'from a sketch by Brockedon' published by Hurst & Robinson June 1824; a proof impression in British Museum (Percival Collection) is inscribed 'I affirm this to be a Correct Likeness of Giovanni Belzoni - R. H. Norman'.


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 Giovanni Battista Belzoni

View all known portraits for William Brockedon