Richard Mead

Inscriptionback to top

On the stretcher an old MS label reads: Doctor Mead/By Richardson; on the back of the canvas a MS extract from The College of Physicians Quarterly, October 1879, and, apparently in the same hand: This is the portrait of Dr. Richard Mead.

This portraitback to top

A drawing with the same face mask and a study of the lips, lower left, in the British Museum since 1902, is inscribed Dr. Meade/5 Oct. 1738. A profile drawing etched in reverse and lettered Richard Mead. M.D./J. Richardson f. 1739 is in the Ashmolean Museum; another, also there, is nearly full face and close to the one in the British Museum. Both are stamped with the small R, bottom right, associated with the collection of the younger Richardson [1] whose property, sold posthumously in 1772, included a further portrait of the sitter on vellum by the elder Richardson. NPG 4157 is a typical Richardson.

Footnotesback to top

1) W. K. Wimsatt, The Portraits of Alexander Pope, 1965, pp 151-52, and references there cited.

Physical descriptionback to top

Dark blue eyes, brown eyebrows, long straight nose, pimple beside his right nostril, double chin, white wig centre-parted resting on his right shoulder; white cravat, brown velvet coat, unbuttoned; plain brown background.

Conservationback to top

Somewhat rubbed; discoloured varnish removed and thin areas touched in, 1961; transferred at some time to a wedged stretcher but apparently not relined.

Provenanceback to top

Bought, 1960, from J. F. Da C. Andrade.


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 Richard Mead

View all known portraits for Jonathan Richardson