William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville

This portraitback to top

The portrait is a small variant of Hoppner's seated three-quarter-length now in the North Carolina Museum. This was probably painted in about 1799, exhibited RA 1800 (197), engraved in mezzotint by S. W. Reynolds published 1 August 1800, and in the family collection at Stowe until 1848; it was bought at the Stowe sale 14 September 1848 (343) by Sir Robert Peel, in the Peel Heirlooms exhibition 1908 (14) and acquired by the North Carolina Museum in 1952 from William Cox of Toronto. A copy is in the Probie collection at Elton Hall. S. W. Reynolds's mezzotint is lettered: … Lord Grenville, One of His Majesty's Most Hon^ble Privy Council, And Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs … (Alfred Whitman, S. W. Reynolds, 1903, 123).
Probably several small copies and variants were painted, one being the NPG portrait; another, in peer's robes and possibly earlier, is in the Speaker's House, Westminster; two sketches or unfinished replicas were in the Hoppner sale 31 May 1823, lots 7 and 15 (W. McKay & W. Roberts, John Hoppner R.A., pp 324-5); a close copy of the NPG portrait was sold by Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn (of Wynnstay) Sotheby's 5 February 1947 (32) bought Asscher £105. The Board of Curators of the Hunterian Museum had commissioned a portrait but as this was unfinished at Hoppner's death on 23 January 1810 Phillips was appointed instead (portrait in Royal College of Surgeons collection).
Lady Grenville's portrait by Hoppner was exhibited RA 1803 (76) and again Third Exhibition of National Portraits, South Kensington, 1868 (60) lent by the Hon G. M. Fortescue. Another called Lady Grenville was sold by Lord Craigmyle in 1964, bought Oscar & Peter Johnson.

Physical descriptionback to top

Half-length slightly to left in black buttoned coat with high collar sprinkled with powder, white neckcloth and cravat; grey powdered hair, light brown eyebrows, yellow-brown eyes, smooth pink complexion without moles on his left cheek; red curtain background.

Provenanceback to top

Bought from Colnaghi 1871.

Reproductionsback to top

No engraving of NPG 318 is known; the engravings listed by W. McKay & W. Roberts, John Hoppner R.A., p 107 are in fact of Hoppner's three-quarter-length formerly at Stowe and now in the North Carolina Museum.


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.

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