Stephen Hales

This portraitback to top

Coarsely painted, the handling does not appear to be autograph; NPG 1861 is conceivably an early or contemporary copy. No other version is known.

Physical descriptionback to top

Dark grey eyes, light eyebrows, thin pale mouth, curled grey-white wig to shoulders; black gown, plain white clerical bands; plain, dark grey-brown background; lit from the left; in a dark painted oval.

Conservationback to top

Unlined; small losses at corners and along upper and lower edges.

Provenanceback to top

Bought 1920, from George H. Gabb and by him, according to a letter, 17 May 1927, 'many years ago' in a sale of miscellaneous pictures, as an unknown portrait by an unknown artist.

Reproductionsback to top

Engraved by McArdell, aged 82, as after Hudson, whereabouts of the original not indicated; the same type, wrongly ascribed to Cotes, mezzotinted by Hopwood, 1810, for one of Dr Thornton's Elementary Botanical Plates.


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 Stephen Hales