The Waterloo Banquet or The Waterloo Banquet 1836 is an 1836-1841 oil on canvas painting now in Apsley House. It is the main work by William Salter and shows an annual banquet organised by the Duke of Wellington on the anniversary of the attendees' victory at the Battle of Waterloo, a tradition that still continues today. [1] It nominally shows the banquet in 1836 but does include some of those who had attended previous banquets but had died before 1836. [1]
The story is that Salter was on his horse in Hyde Park on 18 June 1836 when he happened to hear and then see the banquet in progress at the Duke of Wellington's house at Hyde Park Corner. He was so intrigued by the spectacle that he approached his patron with a proposal for a painting to capture the scene. His patron Lady Berghersh consented to approach the Duke with the proposal. The Duke was immediately against the idea as he considered Salter's immaturity would not be up to the complexity of the painting Salter was proposing. Lady Berghersh was the Duke's niece and she and the Duke were close and kept up a correspondence for many years. [2] The Duke was persuaded and he gave Salter access to the room and ornaments so that he could get their likenesses. [3]
Still on display at Apsley House, the 'plateau' or centrepiece on the table is over a metre wide and over eight metres long. It was a present from the government of Portugal and was made from silver that came from melting down coins. The silver and gilt metalwork was designed by Domingos Antonio de Sequeira and shows the victories of the Napoleonic wars. [4] Salter also included the two massive candelabra presented by Alexander I of Russia (atop the centrepiece at either end), the Waterloo Shield presented by the City of London (far left) and other artworks presented to the Duke such as a copy of Anthony van Dyck's Charles I on Horseback with Monsieur de St Antoine (behind him) [5] and Velazquez's The Waterseller of Seville (between Charles and the group of women).
Salter worked on the painting for five years at his studio in Pall Mall, persevering to obtain a sitting from the invitees. Each of the people in the painting was reported as a good likeness and eighty of the resulting studies are now in the National Portrait Gallery. [6] He chose the moment of the Duke proposing a toast to avoid half the men facing away from the viewer - he instead shows the near side sitting in conversational groups and thus is able to show them all full face or in profile. [7]
The painting was engraved and was very popular, with a key provided to those shown. [8] Tickets were sold to people who wanted to see the painting when it was exhibited in 1841. An 1846 engraving by William Greatbach of the painting also sold well. It was proposed in 1852 to purchase the painting from the artist by public subscription, however this failed to achieve its goal probably due to the Duke's death in September 1852. The painting remained unsold and passed down to Salter's heirs. [7]
* - died before the 1836 banquet
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