John Turberville Needham

Inscriptionback to top

Inscribed verso, in the hand of Charles Townley: ... Turberville Needham/[fe]llow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies in London. Correspondent/of the Academy of Sciences in Paris/President of the Royal Academy at Bruxelles,/and author of various Philosophical, moral/and Physical essays.//Painted by Monsieur Garand, when Mr Needham/was Governor at Paris 1755.
Ink inscription on the frame verso: From the pictures of the 3rd Lord O’Hagan, sold at Christie’s May 19 1939 and bought by Francis R. D. Needham of Welbeck Abbey.

This portraitback to top

Townley, whose remarkable collection of classical sculpture is preserved in the British Museum, was educated at Douai (like his fellow-catholic Needham), and introduced to Parisian society before he returned to England c.1758. The inscription on NPG 4889, which must have been written after 1769 (when Needham became director of the Brussels academy), may imply that Needham was his tutor in Paris in 1755 (when Townley was eighteen-years old).

Physical descriptionback to top

Blue eyes, white powdered wig, wearing a purple suit, his black hat under his left arm.

Provenanceback to top

Charles Townley (1737-1805), by descent to the 3rd Lord O’Hagan; his sale, Christie’s, 19 May 1939, lot 4, bought Labey for Francis R. D. Needham;¹ sale after his death, bought Paul Rich, Farnham Common, from whom purchased 1972.

¹ Ink inscription on the frame verso: From the pictures of the 3rd Lord O’Hagan, sold at Christie’s May 19 1939 and bought by Francis R. D. Needham of Welbeck Abbey.

Exhibitionsback to top

Richard Challoner, Westminster Cathedral, 1981 (168).


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 John Turberville Needham