Portrait of William IV (Archer Shee)

Last updated

Portrait of William IV
William IV in 1833 by Shee cropped.jpg
Artist Martin Archer Shee
Year1833
Type Oil on canvas, portrait
Dimensions270.3 cm× 179 cm(106.4 in× 70 in)
Location Royal Collection, Windsor Castle

Portrait of William IV is an portrait painting of 1833 by the Irish artist Sir Martin Archer Shee depicting William IV. [1] [2]

Contents

Shee had succeeded his fellow portrait painter Thomas Lawrence as President of the Royal Academy in 1830. He had painted William a number of times over the decades, most notably in his 1800 Portrait of the Duke of Clarence at a time when William as third son of his father George III was considered unlikely to succeed to the throne. Following the death of his elder brother George IV William became king in 1830, reigning for seven years. He was himself succeeded by his eighteen-year-old niece Queen Victoria in 1837.

The portrait shows William IV in his robes as a member of the Order of the Garter, with Windsor Castle in the background. His hand rests on the hilt of a sword with the St Edward's Crown and sceptre on a cushion. Originally the King intended to send the painting to the Anglo-Irish politician Richard, Marquess Wellesley, who was then serving as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Impressed by it, he chose instead to keep it to hang in the Throne Room at Windsor Castle. It remains in the Royal Collection today. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Lawrence</span> English portrait painter (1769–1830)

Sir Thomas Lawrence was an English portrait painter and the fourth president of the Royal Academy. A child prodigy, he was born in Bristol and began drawing in Devizes, where his father was an innkeeper at the Bear Hotel in the Market Square. At age ten, having moved to Bath, he was supporting his family with his pastel portraits. At 18, he went to London and soon established his reputation as a portrait painter in oils, receiving his first royal commission, a portrait of Queen Charlotte, in 1789. He stayed at the top of his profession until his death, aged 60, in 1830.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Phillips</span> English portrait and subject painter (1770–1845)

Thomas Phillips was a leading English portrait and subject painter. He painted many of the great men of the day including scientists, artists, writers, poets and explorers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Archer Shee</span> Irish painter and president of the Royal Academy (1769–1850)

Sir Martin Archer Shee was an Irish portrait painter. He also served as the president of the Royal Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Burnet (painter)</span> Scottish engraver and painter

John Burnet was a Scottish engraver and painter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Hayter</span> English painter

Sir George Hayter was an English painter, specialising in portraits and large works involving sometimes several hundred individual portraits. Queen Victoria appreciated his merits and appointed Hayter her Principal Painter in Ordinary and also awarded him a Knighthood in 1841.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Beechey</span> English painter

Sir William Beechey was a British portraitist during the golden age of British painting.

Events from the year 1769 in art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Elley</span> British Army general

Lieutenant-General Sir John ElleyKMTOS was a British soldier who joined the cavalry as a private and rose to general officer rank. He fought with distinction during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and later served as the last Governor of Galway and as Member of Parliament for Windsor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Principal Painter in Ordinary</span> First Court painter in Great Britain

The title of Principal Painter in Ordinary to the King or Queen of England or, later, Great Britain, was awarded to a number of artists, nearly all mainly portraitists. It was different from the role of Serjeant Painter, and similar to the earlier role of "King's Painter". Other painters, for example Nicholas Hilliard had similar roles with different titles. "Principal Painter in Ordinary", first used for Sir Anthony Van Dyck, became settled as the usual title with John Riley in 1689.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Corden the Elder</span> English painter

William Corden the Elder was an English portrait painter and miniaturist known for his commissions from the Royal Family in the mid nineteenth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffry Wyatville</span> English architect (1766–1840)

Sir Jeffry Wyatville was an English architect and garden designer. Born Jeffry Wyatt into an established dynasty of architects, in 1824 he was allowed by King George IV to change his surname to Wyatville. He is mainly remembered for making alterations and extensions to Chatsworth House and Windsor Castle.

Sir William John Newton (1785–1869) was an English miniature-painter, in fashion in the early part of the 19th century.

<i>The Coronation of Queen Victoria</i> 1839 painting by George Hayter

The Coronation of Queen Victoria is an 1839 painting by the British artist George Hayter. It depicts in oils the Coronation of Queen Victoria at Westminster Abbey on 28 June 1838. Victoria was eighteen when she succeeded her uncle William IV to the throne on 20 June 1837 and went on to reign until 1901.

<i>Portrait of Charles X</i> Painting by Thomas Lawrence

Portrait of Charles X is an 1825 portrait painting by the British artist Sir Thomas Lawrence depicting the reigning French monarch Charles X. Following the French Revolution that saw his eldest brother overthrown and executed, Charles has spent many years in exile including a period in Britain. His brother Louis XVIII was restored to the throne with British assistance in 1814 and then again in 1815 following the Battle of Waterloo. Charles, as his heir, led the conservative Ultra-royalist faction in French politics. When his brother died in 1824 he succeeded to the throne. The last member of the House of Bourbon to reign, he had an elaborate coronation in Reims in May 1825. The same year Charles was painted in his coronation robes by the French artist Robert Lefèvre.

<i>Portrait of Prince Frederick, Duke of York</i> Painting by Thomas Lawrence

The Portrait of Prince Frederick, Duke of York, is a portrait painting of 1816 by the English artist Thomas Lawrence. It depicts Prince Frederick, Duke of York, the Commander in Chief of the British Army. A royal duke, he was the second son of George III and younger brother of the Prince Regent. From 1820 to his death in 1827 he was heir presumptive to the British throne.

<i>Portrait of Lord Beresford</i> Painting by William Beechey

Portrait of Lord Beresford is an 1815 portrait painting by the English artist William Beechey of the British general William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford.

<i>Portrait of the Duke of Clarence</i> Painting by Martin Archer Shee

Portrait of the Duke of Clarence is a portrait painting by the Irish artist Martin Archer Shee depicting the future William IV, then Duke of Clarence.

<i>Portrait of George, Prince of Wales</i> Painting by William Beechey

Portrait of George, Prince of Wales is an 1798 portrait painting by the English artist William Beechey. It depicts the future George IV, then Prince of Wales. George, heir to his father George III, is shown in the uniform of the Tenth Light Dragoons. The style imitates those of Rembrandt from the seventeenth century.

<i>Portrait of William IV</i> (Wilkie) Painting by David Wilkie

Portrait of William IV is an 1832 portrait painting by the Scottish artist David Wilkie. It is a depiction of the reigning British monarch William IV, who had come to the throne two years earlier. Wilkie was Principal Painter in Ordinary to the king and produced this full-length work showing William in his garter robes with St Edward's Crown beside him. Wilkie was a great admirer of Old Masters and the presentation of the king echoes that of Hans Holbein's Portrait of Henry VIII.

<i>Portrait of George II</i> Painting by Thomas Hudson

Portrait of George II is a 1744 portrait painting by the British artist Thomas Hudson depicting George II of Great Britain. The German-born George reigned as King of Great Britain, King of Ireland and Elector of Hanover from 1737 to 1760. He notably led Allied troops to victory at the Battle of Dettingen the previous year, an event commemorated in a painting by John Wootton.

References

  1. Ormond p. 46
  2. Lambourne p. 65
  3. "Sir Martin Archer Shee (1769–1850) – William IV (1765–1837)". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 24 November 2024.

Bibliography

See also