William Somerville
- Overview
- Extended Catalogue Entry
© National Portrait Gallery, London
William Somerville
by Unknown artist
oil on canvas, circa 1695-1710
29 3/4 in. x 25 in. (756 mm x 635 mm) oval
Given by Mrs Charles Pigott, 1902
Primary Collection
NPG 1308
This portraitback to top
Crudely painted, possibly by a provincial hand, this portrait is the only version known. Despite the omission of the sitter's date of birth, the inscription on the reverse recording the gift of the portrait by Somerville to his friend and neighbour, Christopher Wren, son of the eminent architect, is acceptable.
More detailed information on this portrait is available in a National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue, John Kerslake's Early Georgian Portraits (1977, out of print).
Linked publicationsback to top
- Kerslake, John, Early Georgian Portraits, 1977, p. 256
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 575
Events of 1695back to top
Current affairs
Princess Anne, daughter of James II by Anne Hyde, and now heir apparent to the English throne, returns to court having retired two years previously over William III's dismissal of John Churchill and his wife, Sarah, Anne's closest companion.Art and science
William Congreve's comical farce, Love for Love, exemplifying the height of Restoration comedy, reopens Lincoln's Inn Theatre with a new actors' company led by actor Thomas Betterton. Its witty, sparking dialogue made it hugely popular with audiences.International
William III and Maximilian II Emanuel of Bavaria, commanding the army of the grand alliance, recapture Namur in the Spanish Netherlands from the French. Despite a period of victories, the Netherlands and England begin to struggle financially under the economic strain of the ongoing Nine Years' War.Comments back to top
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