James Parsons

Inscriptionback to top

Inscribed on the back of relining canvas: Doct^r. Jam^s. Parsons F.R.A.S.[1]/Aetat 60 anno,/quo Benj. Wilson pinxit 1762.

1) Fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies (?).

This portraitback to top

By virtue of its bequest to the British Museum by Dr Knight, an intimate friend of the artist's, and on stylistic grounds the attribution given in the inscription may be accepted as correct. Analo on the book refers presumably to the sitter's work Philosophical Observations on the Analogy between the Propagation of Animals and that of Vegetables which appeared in 1752.

Physical descriptionback to top

Pale blue eyes, grey eyebrows, full lips slightly parted, fresh complexion, white wig; light gold-brown coat, white cravat; gilt-tooled book inscribed Analo; greenish-brown background shading to dark brown.

Conservationback to top

Slight retouching to side of face, lower right, and to wig; surface cleaned and varnished, 1879, 1896 when also relined, and 1898.

Provenanceback to top

Transferred, 1879, from the British Museum to whom bequeathed by Dr Gowin Knight (d. 1772).


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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