Richard Cosway

This portraitback to top

To judge by the alterations, this is the original drawing from which several versions are derived. It has been dated c.1790 by Lloyd, [1] and a miniature copy by Henry Stubble in the Huntington Library, San Marino, is dated 1792. [2] Versions in pencil include those sold Sotheby’s, 19 June 1969, lot 117 (from E. H. Hodgkins collection); [3] Christie’s, 27-28 April 1983, lot 350, described as a copy of NPG 304 ‘perhaps by James Heath Millington’, and see NPG 1678.

Footnotesback to top

1) S. Lloyd, Richard & Maria Cosway, exhibition catalogue, Edinburgh, NPG, 1995, p 123.
2) No.24.27; illus. Cat. of Miniatures by Cosway [belonging to] Edward Joseph, 1883, no.1.
3) Illus. D. Foskett, Collecting Miniatures, 1979, p 360, pl.104d.

Provenanceback to top

Maria Cosway; Mrs Williamson; presented by Mrs Georgiana M. Zornlin¹ 1870.

¹ She wrote to Scharf, 14 May 1870, explaining that the picture ‘was given me by a Mrs Williamson who was an intimate friend of Cosway and of his sister Miss Cosway by whom it was bequeathed to my friend Mrs Williamson’ (NPG archive).

Exhibitionsback to top

Richard & Maria Cosway, Edinburgh, NPG, 1995 (112).


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 Richard Cosway