Sir John Vanbrugh

This portraitback to top

The Kit-Cat Club portrait. Vanbrugh wears the badge of the Clarenceux King of Arms (ar., a cross gu., with crest gu. a lion or). Two drawings of this type by Edward Byng are in the British Museum. [1]

Footnotesback to top

1) E. Croft-Murray, Decorative Painting in England, II, The Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, 1960, p 241 (1897.8.13.7; Byng 6:f.46v), and p 245 (1897.8.13.8; Byng 7:f.18v).

Referenceback to top

Piper 1963
D. Piper, Catalogue of the Seventeenth Century Portraits in the National Portrait Gallery 1625-1714, 1963, p 356 as c.1704-10?.

Stewart 1983
J. D. Stewart, Godfrey Kneller, 1983, no.812 as c.1705.

Exhibitionsback to top

Art Treasures, Manchester, 1857, British Portrait Gallery 266; Second Special Exhibition of National Portraits ( ... William and Mary to MDCCC), South Kensington, 1867, no.112; Royal House of Guelph, New Gallery, London, 1891, no.199; Frameworks, Paul Mitchell Gallery, London, 1996–97, no.145.

Reproductionsback to top

J. Simon (J. Chaloner Smith, British Mezzotinto Portraits, 154); J. Faber II 1733 (J. Chaloner Smith, British Mezzotinto Portraits, 208/29) suggesting his left arm is rubbed in the painting.


This extended catalogue entry is from the National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Later Stuart Portraits 1685–1714, National Portrait Gallery, 2009, 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 Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt

View all known portraits for Sir John Vanbrugh