Cultural depictions of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

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Portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya (1812-1814) Francisco Goya - Portrait of the Duke of Wellington.jpg
Portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya (1812-1814)

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, commanding the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and serving twice as prime minister. He has frequently been depicted in various cultural media.

Contents

Art

Equestrian Portrait of the 1st Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya (1812) Goya Equestrian Portrait of the 1st Duke of Wellington.jpg
Equestrian Portrait of the 1st Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya (1812)
The central section of The Meeting of Wellington and Blucher after the Battle of Waterloo, in a print of 1879 Wellington & Blucher ANC-14.86 2 (central crop).jpg
The central section of The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher after the Battle of Waterloo , in a print of 1879

Literature

Literary works in which Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, appears:

Film

Waterloo (1970) poster showing Christopher Plummer as Wellington Waterloo 1970 Poster (cropped).jpg
Waterloo (1970) poster showing Christopher Plummer as Wellington

Radio

Television

Arthur Wellesley, painted by
Sir Thomas Lawrence Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington by Thomas Lawrence.jpg
Arthur Wellesley, painted by
Sir Thomas Lawrence

Music

Video games

Video games Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, appears in:

Miscellaneous

See also

Related Research Articles

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<i>Portrait of the Duke of Wellington</i> (Goya) Painting by Francisco de Goya

The Portrait of the Duke of Wellington is a painting by the Spanish artist Francisco de Goya of the British general Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, during the latter's service in the Peninsular War. One of three portraits Goya painted of Wellington, it was begun in August 1812 after the subject's entry into Madrid, showing him as an earl in an all-red uniform and wearing the Peninsular Medal. The artist then modified it in 1814 to show him in full dress uniform with black gold–braided lapels and to add the Order of the Golden Fleece and Military Gold Cross with three clasps.

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The Wellington Collection is a large art and militaria collection housed at Apsley House in London. It mainly consists of paintings, including 83 formerly in the Spanish royal collection, given to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who was Prime Minister as well as the general commanding the British forces to victory in the Napoleonic Wars. It also includes his collection of furniture, sculpture, porcelain, the silver centrepiece made for him in Portugal around 1815, and many other artworks and memorabilia relating to his career.

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The Duke is a 2020 British comedy drama film directed by Roger Michell, with a screenplay by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman. It is based on the true story of the 1961 theft of the Portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco de Goya. The film stars Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Anna Maxwell Martin and Matthew Goode. It was Michell's penultimate film before his death on 22 September 2021.

<i>Portrait of the Duke of Wellington</i> (Lawrence) Painting by Thomas Lawrence

The Portrait of the Duke of Wellington is a portrait by the English artist Thomas Lawrence of the Anglo-Irish soldier and politician the Duke of Wellington. It was begun in early 1815 following Wellington's success in the Peninsular War and shortly before his victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo and the subsequent allied occupation of France under Wellington's command. It is now in the collection of Apsley House, the Duke's London residence. Wellington is shown in military uniform displaying various honours including the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Golden Fleece and the Order of the Bath. He has been described as "impassive and aloof" in the painting. Lawrence's depiction of Wellington was used on the British Five Pound note between 1971 and 1991.

<i>The Battle of Waterloo</i> (Pieneman painting) Painting by Jan Willem Pieneman

The Battle of Waterloo is a large history painting by the Dutch artist Jan Willem Pieneman completed in 1824. It portrays the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815 which marked the final defeat of Napoleon's French Empire and the end of the Napoleonic Wars. It focuses on the Allied commanders led by the Duke of Wellington. Following the success of his 1818 work The Prince of Orange at Quatre Bras the artist chose to depict another scene from the Hundred Days campaign. He traveled to London in February 1821 where he received assistance from the Duke of Wellingon who let him establish a temporary studio in Apsley House and posed for his own portrait. He also arranged sittings with other senior figures present at Waterloo and in addition had his horse Copenhagen brought to London so that Pieneman could capture its likeness. After spending nearly nearly four months in London the artist returned to Amsterdam where he also painted the Prince of Orange in preparation for the work.

References

  1. "The Meeting of Wellington and Blucher after the Battle of Waterloo". UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  2. Staff. "Warhorses of Letters". BBC. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  3. "The Duke | Sony Pictures Classics".
  4. "Kempton and the Duke on BBC Radio 4".