John Perceval, 1st Earl of Egmont

Inscriptionback to top

Incised on the back: IOANNES . PERCIVALE/AET . SVE . XXIII at the top, and below: VINCENTIVS/FELIX . FECIT/ANNO . 1707/R(OMAE) .

This portraitback to top

Felici (Vincentius Felix) was a pupil of the Roman sculptor Domenico Guidi and carried on the workshop after his master's death in 1701. The bust, in the antique style, was presumably taken in Rome in the last year of Perceval's grand tour.

Physical descriptionback to top

Pupils incised, well proportioned face, tight curls to nape of neck; lace-edged drapery loose over his left shoulder revealing tunic and breast-plate, the latter with grotesque face of an old man, centre.

Conservationback to top

Small weatherings or flaws in marble, particularly on the forehead, right, and on the tip of the nose; the end of the inscription is rubbed; cleaned and stone socle fitted, 1922.

Provenanceback to top

Given 1922, by Sir Eric MacLagan through the National Art Collections Fund after its discovery at a small London dealer's by Mr (afterwards Sir) Leigh Ashton.


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.

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