Unknown man, formerly known as Peter Romney

This portraitback to top

Previously called Peter Romney (1743-77), the younger brother of the painter George Romney, with whom he studied before practising on his own mainly in the north of England. [1] George Romney’s double portrait of his brothers (Yale Center for British Art, B1981.25.537) [2] shows Peter with much darker hair, and the identity of NPG 1882 is not secure; a drawing by George Romney, called Peter Romney, was sold Christie’s, 12 July 1937, lot 6.

Footnotesback to top

1) See Rev. John Romney, Memoirs of the Life and Works of George Romney ... also some particulars of the life of Peter Romney, his Brother, 1830, pp 271-311.
2) Exhibited Free Society of Artists, London, 1766 (144); illus. RA 1963 (254).

Physical descriptionback to top

Dark blue eyes, light brown hair, blue coat.

Provenanceback to top

Miss Elizabeth Romney;¹ Romney sale Christie’s, 24 May 1894 [?lot 205, unfinished study - Head of one of Romney’s Brothers]; Ernest E. Leggatt, by whom presented 1920.

¹ See Romney NPG 959.


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 George Romney