Frederick, Duke of York and Albany

Inscriptionback to top

Inscribed faintly in ink on back of board: G Swendale Pinxt Windsor/1829.

This portraitback to top

Kenneth Garlick, ‘Catalogue of Paintings, Drawings and Pastels of Sir Thomas Lawrence’ in Walpole Society Journal, XXXIX, 1964 lists five types of Lawrence portraits of the Duke of York:
(1) Drawing or pastel based on the bust by Lochée of 1787, exhibited RA 1789 and engraved by E. Scott 1789; the drawing is at present unlocated (Kenneth Garlick, ‘Catalogue of Paintings, Drawings and Pastels of Sir Thomas Lawrence’ in Walpole Society Journal, XXXIX, 1964 pp 205 and 250).
(2) Farington's Diary mentions on 28 July 1813, 'The Duke of York has been sitting to Lawrence for a half length portrait, who observed that the Duke is very punctual in keeping to the time appointed. He also remarked that the Duke is modest, & even bashful -'. This was presumably the portrait exhibited RA 1814 (64), at present untraced but possibly the three-quarter-length in Ponce Museum, Puerto Rico.
(3) Whole-length in Royal Collection (Windsor Castle), standing in field marshal's uniform and Orders of Garter and Bath, exhibited RA 1816 (61), see Sir Oliver Millar, The Later Georgian Pictures in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen, 1969, 876 and plate 197.
(4) Three-quarter-length in Ponce Museum, Puerto Rico, probably identical with (2). The head in the Royal Collection whole-length seems to be based on this. A mezzotint by Charles Turner was published in 1821 (Alfred Whitman, Charles Turner, 1907, 633). Enamel copies by Henry Bone are in the Ponce Museum, Burghley House, Slane Castle, and at Christie's 28 November 1978 (58) dated October 1821. Bone's squared up drawing in the NPG library is inscribed: '... for HRH the Princess Sophia - April 1821' (Henry Bone’s annotated pencil drawings for miniatures and enamels, II, 32).
(5) Half-length in dark green or blue coat of which NPG 1563 is a copy. The original, location uncertain, was exhibited RA 1822 (73) and engraved by George Doo 1824. Kenneth Garlick, ‘Catalogue of Paintings, Drawings and Pastels of Sir Thomas Lawrence’ in Walpole Society Journal, XXXIX, 1964 lists 6 versions of which one may be the original; one was at Sotheby's 17 March 1971 (78). A copy by Davy is in the Prince of Hanover's collection (Marienburg); a copy attributed to Jackson is in the Freemasons' Hall; a small copy on millboard by Henry Wyatt is at Apsley House. A miniature by William Bate, signed and dated 1827 but deriving from the Lawrence, is in National Gallery of Ireland, reproduced Daphne Foskett, Dictionary of British Miniature Painters, 1972, plate 13, no.36.

Physical descriptionback to top

Half-length to left in dark green coat with brass buttons, Star of Garter, red and white striped waistcoat, voluminous black cravat; sparse grey hair bald on top, small blue eyes, florid complexion.

Provenanceback to top

The Hon Mrs Harold Denison (Katherine) and bought from her 1910.

Exhibitionsback to top

(Of the original)
RA 1822.

Reproductionsback to top

(Of the original)
Line engraving by George T. Doo published by Hurst Robinson December 1824.


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.

View all known portraits for Frederick, Duke of York and Albany

View all known portraits for Sir Thomas Lawrence