Sir Elijah Impey

This portraitback to top

Impey here appears appreciably younger than in Zoffany’s Indian portraits of 1783-84, indicating a date prior to his departure for Bengal in 1774 and prior to Zoffany’s departure for Italy in June 1772. Such contact may explain how, on his arrival in India in 1783, Zoffany immediately received further sittings.

Referenceback to top

Williamson & Manners 1920
G. C. Williamson & Lady Victoria Manners, John Zoffany, R.A., his life and works, p 221.

Physical descriptionback to top

Blue-grey eyes, grey hair, wearing a light-brown gown with dark-brown fur trim over a grey waistcoat; a deep-red curtain to the left.

Provenanceback to top

Bequeathed by the sitter’s godson, Sir Roderick Impey Murchison 1872.<sup>1

1</sup> Bequeathed with portraits of Lady Impey by Zoffany and a Raeburn of his Father, both of which were rejected.

Exhibitionsback to top

National Gallery -1920.


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 Sir Elijah Impey

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