Robert Clive

This portraitback to top

The face mask is close to McArdell's engraving of the missing Gainsborough. A crude line engraving by J. Taylor was first published, according to O'Donoghue, in the 1757 edition of Smollett's History of England. Since the book contained no illustrations and the print shows the Bath it cannot have been circulated before 1764. John van Nost the younger settled in Dublin c.1750 and could well have been working there in 1766. There is evidence he was in London the previous year. [1] A sculptor rather than a medallist, his role is likely to have been that of designer. He is credited with medals of George II and Cumberland, both English sitters. [2] 'C.G.' has not been identified. Dr J. P. C. Kent [3] regards it as a signature, perhaps of the medallist and points to the work of Isaac Gosset whose portrait of Wolfe [4] is stylistically comparable. It may yet prove to be the initial of an Irish medallist.

Footnotesback to top

1) W. G. Strickland, A Dictionary of Irish Artists, 1913, II, pp 484-5.
2) Ibid.
3) British Museum (verbal), Department of Coins and Medals.
4) British Museum, Medallic Illustrations of the History of Great Britain and Ireland, compiled F. Hawkins and others, II, p 706; L. Forrer, Biographical Dictionary of English Medallists, 1904-30, II, p 302.

Physical descriptionback to top

Obverse: Tie wig, unbuttoned flowered coat with Bath ribbon and star; drapery in the bottom left-hand corner; lettered within a plain rim, around two-thirds of the circumference: ROBERT. CLIVE. BARON. OF. PLASSEY., signed with initials on the cut-away of his left sleeve, I.U. [i.e. 'V'] N.F.
Reverse: A whole length figure of a woman with trumpet (Fame?) points to a pyramid (alluding to eternity?) inscribed: 1757./Feb 5. NABO/BS./CAMP./DESTRO/YED/JUNE. 23/VICTORI/OUS. AT./PLASSEY./1765/ESTABLISH/ED. PEACE./IN. BENGAL./AND. MADE./OMRA [5]58 OF. THE./EMPIRE; inside the double rim lettered: HONOUR. THE/(here the tip of the pyramid) REWARD. OF. MERIT, and below the rule, ANNO 1766/C G.

Conservationback to top

Good.

Provenanceback to top

Bought, 1912, from Spink and Son.


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Kerslake, Early Georgian Portraits, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1977, 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 Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive