Ernest, Duke of Cumberland (1771-1851) c.1797-1802
Oil on canvas | 239.0 x 147.5 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 404564
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This portrait and that of the sitter’s sister, Princess Augusta (RCIN 404556), were exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1802. They were presumably intended as a sibling pair, united by a military theme: the Duke here is shown in the uniform of the 15th Light Dragoons and set dramatically against the smoke of war (for the meaning of the companion portrait, see RCIN 404556). Beechey learned from Reynolds (who learned from Rembrandt) the technique of showing the sharp crackle of thickly painted brocade against an indistinct background.
Provenance
Painted for George III and placed with Beechey’s royal pair (RCIN 405422 and 405423) and his portrait of the Duke of Cumberland (RCIN 404564) in the King’s Dining Room at Kew
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Creator(s)
(nationality)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Oil on canvas
Measurements
239.0 x 147.5 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)
274.0 x 179.2 x 13.1 cm (frame, external)
Category
Object type(s)
Other number(s)
Alternative title(s)
Ernest, Duke of Cumberland, later King of Hanover (1771-1851)
Small copy (panel 34"x 23") sold w a similar panel based on Beechey's full length George III, at Christies 12/12/1947 (140) from Collection of Sir Walter Arthur Waller B, late of Woodcote, Leek, Woolton? Worcs