John Jervis, Earl of St Vincent

Inscriptionback to top

Signed and dated centre right: F Cotes. R.A. px^t/1769 -, and inscribed later lower right: John. Earl of S^t Vincent.

This portraitback to top

Professor Smart (Alastair Smart, Introducing Francis Cotes RA, 1971, p 33) compares NPG 2026 favourably with Reynolds's portrait of Admiral Sir Charles Saunders in the National Maritime Museum (Sir Ellis Waterhouse, Reynolds, 1941, plate 109), stressing the unselfconscious informality of the Cotes portrait. Another version of it, in an elaborate frame over a picture of the Battle of Cape St Vincent, was at Meaford, his brother's house in Staffordshire (Connoisseur, XXI, 1911, p 7).

Physical descriptionback to top

Three-quarter-length in post captain's uniform (over 3 years seniority 1767-74), blue with gold braid and white facings, white waistcoat and neckcloth, right hand on sword, left holding hat and gloves, grey rocky background and sea to left; powdered hair in queue, blue-grey eyes, pink chalky complexion.

Provenanceback to top

Family possession and by descent to Lord Northesk who lent it to the NPG in 1924; it was bought from him with help from the NACF in 1948 (NACF 45th Annual Report, p 20, no.1506).

Exhibitionsback to top

'Introducing Francis Cotes RA', Nottingham University Art Gallery, 1971 (37).

Reproductionsback to top

Head only in Valentine Green's 'British Naval Victors' published 1799 (John Chaloner Smith, British Mezzotint Portraits, 12).


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: Richard Walker, Regency Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, 1985, 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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