Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne

This portraitback to top

Though somewhat deteriorated, NPG 757 remains a lively portrait and may be Hoare's ad vivum account of the sitter. Oils of the type include a seated whole length in Garter robes, sold from the Ashburnham collection, Sotheby's, 15 July 1953, lot 143. An inferior repetition, in a painted oval, was at Christie's, 14 June 1937, lot 35. A three-quarter length, as engraved by McArdell (J. Chaloner Smith, British Mezzotinto Portraits, 1878-83, 136), was at Clumber House, Worksop, and another, in peer's parliamentary robes, belongs to Lord Rosebery. Two related drawings are in the British Museum.
The date of NPG 757 must be before 1765, the year of McArdell's death, and perhaps c.1752 when Henry Pelham (q.v., NPG 221), Newcastle's brother, sat to Hoare. [1] A pastel of Henry, at Christie's, 4 June 1937, lot 1, was at Clumber, seat of the Earls of Lincoln to whom Newcastle was related through his sister Lucy's marriage.

1) G. Vertue, Vertue Note Books (edited by The Earl of Ilchester), Walpole Society, 1930-55, III, p 161.

Physical descriptionback to top

Dark grey eyes, grey eyebrows, curved nose, slight double chin, white wig parted in the centre; white neck-cloth, lace cravat, plum-coloured coat unbuttoned at the top, Garter ribbon and star; plain brown background; lit from left.

Conservationback to top

Losses in the forehead and nose; the colour of the coat faded and shadow below the ribbon now blue and out of key.

Provenanceback to top

Presented, 1887, by the 4th Earl of Chichester, presumably by descent, from Stanmer Park, Sussex, which passed, on the sitter's death, to his cousin and male heir Thomas Pelham, [1] created Earl of Chichester, 1801.

1) G .E. Cockayne, The Complete Peerage, revised by V. Gibbs (and others), 1910-59, IX, p 531.


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.

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