Joseph Kelway

1 portrait of Joseph Kelway

Joseph Kelway, by John Russell; Andrea Soldi, 1776 -NPG 4213 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Mid-Georgian Portraits Catalogue

Joseph Kelway

by John Russell, after Andrea Soldi
1776
24 in. x 18 3/4 in. (610 mm x 476 mm) oval
NPG 4213

Inscriptionback to top

Signed I. Russell in light green above shoulder, with the date 1776 faintly visible in black below

This portraitback to top

The identity is founded on the provenance. Although Russell’s signature appears genuine and a date has been read, NPG 4213 clearly derives from the earlier three-quarter length portrait by Andrea Soldi.

Physical descriptionback to top

Brown eyes, grey powdered hair with black ribbon, wearing a grey coat, pink waistcoat and white shirt.

Provenanceback to top

[Commissioned by George III for Samuel Wesley, his Court Musician, together with pastels of Handel, Corelli and see Boyce NPG 4212; thence to the Simms family ‘in payment of a debt’1] Miss Leat, Yelverton, 1915; Mrs Mary Simms, Yelverton, from whom purchased 1961.

1 This provenance was given by Mary Simms in letters of 19 January and 6 February 1961.

Exhibitionsback to top

Beningbrough 1979-.


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 Joseph Kelway

View all known portraits for John Russell