Louis François Roubiliac

Inscriptionback to top

Signed, in light brown, bottom left: Adr. Carpentiers p: 1762.

This portraitback to top

If the date was added later, this may be the 'half length of M^r Roubiliac' exhibited by Carpentiers at the Society of Artists 1761 (8). Roubiliac died 11 January 1762 and the quality of NPG 303 suggests it is unlikely to be a repetition. The terracotta of his statue of Shakespeare commissioned by Garrick, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, is dated 1757; the marble passed on the death of Mrs Garrick to the British Museum. A version of NPG 303 without date or signature, owned in 1931 by Kenneth Sanderson, is apparently the source of the mezzotint by D. Martin engraved 1765 when in the possession of R. Alexander of Edinburgh. Both show a large pair of callipers on the stand in addition to the two small tools shown in NPG 303. A number of scholars have taken this to be a repetition.

Physical descriptionback to top

Dark brown eyes, arched brown eyebrows, straight pointed nose, head clean shaven, drawn appearance; greenish-brown velvet cap pushed back from forehead, plain grey coat, white shirt open at neck, left sleeve undone; a statuette of Shakespeare on a stand, his right hand holding a tool close to the figure's head; plain grey background, lighter behind the sitter's head.

Conservationback to top

Minor retouchings have discoloured, a possible pentiment on upper right forearm; surface cleaned, 1895.

Provenanceback to top

Bought 1870, from Mrs J. Noseda; presumably from the collection of General Durant of Tong Castle, Shropshire, who purchased the site, 1764, of an older castle there; listed, 1825, as in the possession of his son; [1] at Christie's sale, 1856, bought in; Tong Castle sale, Christie's, 20 April 1870, lot 42, bought Mrs J. Noseda.

1) J. P. Neale, Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen etc., VIII, no.36 (98).

Exhibitionsback to top

'The French Taste in English Painting', Kenwood, 1968 (27).

Reproductionsback to top

The type engraved by David Martin, 1765 (J. Chaloner Smith, British Mezzotinto Portraits, 1878-83, 6) and Thomas Chambars (F. O'Donoghue and Sir Henry M. Hake, Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits ... in the British Museum, 1908-25, 2).


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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