Sir James Stephen

1 portrait

Sir James Stephen, by Carlo Marochetti, 1858 -NPG 1029 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Early Victorian Portraits Catalogue

Sir James Stephen

by Carlo Marochetti
1858
29 1/8 in. (740 mm) high
NPG 1029

This portraitback to top

In a letter of 17 August 188 (copy of the original communicated by the donor, NPG archives), the sitter wrote to Sir Henry Taylor:

'I have just been released from attendance on the Baron Marochetti, who undertook to exhibit me in marble. He began his work by assuring me that he never flattered, and he has certainly ended it by being as good as his word. Now, to pay a man more than could maintain a hard-working curate a whole year for twelve hours' work in moulding one's visage, and to get no flattery after all, is really to burn one of Mr Ruskin's 'Lamps of Truth' at a very high cost.'

Provenanceback to top

By descent to the sitter's grandson, Sir Herbert Stephen, and presented by him, 1896.

Exhibitionsback to top

RA, 1859 (1349).


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: Richard Ormond, Early Victorian Portraits, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1973, 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 (Pietro) Carlo Giovanni Battista Marochetti, Baron Marochetti

View all known portraits for Sir James Stephen