James Macpherson
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- Extended catalogue entry
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Mid-Georgian Portraits Catalogue
James Macpherson
after Sir Joshua Reynolds
based on a work of 1772
29 1/4 in. x 24 1/2 in. (743 mm x 622 mm)
NPG 983
This portraitback to top
A weak copy of the Reynolds portrait at Petworth painted in 1772. [1] Other copies sold Sotheby’s, 14 May 1986, lot 189, and in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery (PG 1439). An oval miniature copy attributed to Ozias Humphry was sold Christie’s, 18 December 1979, lot 59, [2] presumably related to the ‘small enamel portrait of Macpherson, the duplicate of one painted for the Nabob of Arcot, also by Sir Joshua’ seen in the Macpherson home, Balavil House [Belleville], c.1840. [3]
Footnotesback to top
1) D. Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds, I, 2000, no.1168; engraved J. K. Sherwin 1775; C. Knight 1805; J. Fittler 1805, and W. Bond 1806 and 1813;
2) Probably that exhibited SKM 1865 (1252), lent Lea.
3) R. Carruthers, The Highland Notebook, 1843, p 307.
Physical descriptionback to top
Blue eyes, brownish hair, wearing a red coat with a dark fur collar over a silver waistcoat striped with green.
Provenanceback to top
Presented by Henry Willett 1895.
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.
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