Hugh Percy (né Smithson), 1st Duke of Northumberland

Inscriptionback to top

Incised on truncation: HU. DUKE OF/NORTHUMBERLAND 1780 T

This portraitback to top

Tassie’s portrait is taken from a medal by John Kirk, exhibited in 1772 with minor variations (e.g. in the hair ribbon); Tassie’s head in turn provided the pattern for the Wedgwood medallion, first advertised in 1787. [1] A plaster is in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery (PG 441).

Footnotesback to top

1) R. Reilly and G. Savage, Wedgwood the Portrait Medallions, 1973, p 260; Reilly dates the medal 1766.

Referenceback to top

Gray 1894
J. M. Gray, James and William Tassie, a biographical and critical sketch with a catalogue of their portrait medallions of modern personages, 1894, no.292.

Provenanceback to top

K. E. Houston sale, Sotheby’s, 15 January 1968, lot 117, bought Sanders of Oxford; Christie’s, 22 May 1973, lot 5, bought Leggatt for the NPG.


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 Hugh Percy (né Smithson), 1st Duke of Northumberland