Capability Brown

This portraitback to top

A copy from Dance’s half-length, see NPG 6049; the oval format eliminates the chair back, and the angle of his right arm differs slightly.
A similar, or the same, oval portrait belonged in 1887 to H. H. Humm of Topsham, Devon, who then alleged that it was ‘taken from the life and handed by Miss Brown to Mr English JP from whom I received it’; it was declined by the Gallery in June 1887. [1]

Footnotesback to top

1) Sir George Scharf's Trustees' Sketch Books, 32/74 and 183/3; letters in NPG archive.

Physical descriptionback to top

Blue eyes, powdered hair, dark blue-grey coat, grey-blue waistcoat.

Provenanceback to top

Warren Trevor of Chester; Christie’s, 4 March 1907, lot 45, bought in; purchased from Trevor 1908.


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, National Portrait Gallery, 2004, 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 Lancelot ('Capability') Brown

View all known portraits for Nathaniel Dance (later Sir Nathaniel Holland, Bt)