| The Milbanke and Melbourne Families | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | George Stubbs |
| Year | c.1769 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, conversation piece |
| Dimensions | 97 cm× 149 cm(38 in× 59 in) |
| Location | National Gallery, London |
The Milbanke and Melbourne Families is a 1769 oil painting by the British artist George Stubbs. A conversation piece, it features four portraits of Sir Ralph Milbanke, 5th Baronet, his daughter Elizabeth and on horseback on the right Sir Peniston Lamb. The fourth figure is likely to be John Milbanke, Elizabeth's brother. [1] The painting was almost certainly commissioned to celebrate the marriage alliance between the two families in April 1769 when Elizabeth married Sir Peniston Lamb. [2] Both were wealthy landowning families with politicial ambitions. The couple's son Lord Melbourne served as Prime Minister while their daughter Emily married another Prime Minister Lord Palmerston. Sir Peniston was given the Irish title Baron Melbourne which explains the title of the painting. [3]
The painting was commissioned by Sir Peniston to hang at his country estate Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire. [4] It was almost certainly displayed at the Exhibition of 1770 held by the Society of Artists. [5] Having passed down through the female line of the family for several generations, it is today it is in the collection of the National Gallery in London, which purchased it in 1977. [2]
