Portrait of the Earl of Buckinghamshire
| Portrait of the Earl of Buckinghamshire | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Thomas Gainsborough |
| Year | 1784 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, portrait painting |
| Dimensions | 234 cm × 145.5 cm (92 in × 57.3 in) |
| Location | Blickling Hall, Norfolk |
Portrait of the Earl of Buckinghamshire is a 1784 portrait painting by the British artist Thomas Gainsborough. It depicts the diplomat and politician John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire. He served as British Ambassador to Russia from 1762 to 1765 and later as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1776 to 1780.
His daughter Amelia married Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, the British Secretary of War and Foreign Secretary during the Napoleonic Wars. He is shown at full-length in court dress and the ermine robes of a peer. Gainsborough also produced a companion portrait featuring his Irish wife Caroline Connolly.[1]
Gainsborough planned to display the painting at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1784 at Somerset House in London. However following a dispute with the committee, he withdrew this and other paintings and never exhibited with the Royal Academy again.[2] The painting hangs in the Earl's historic residence of Blickling Hall in Norfolk.[3]
References
- ^ "John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire (1723-1793)". National Trust Collections. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ Hamilton p. 330
- ^ "John Hobart (1723–1793), 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire". Art UK. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
Bibliography
- Bew, John. Castlereagh: A Life Oxford University Press, 2012.
- Hamilton, James. Gainsborough: A Portrait. Hachette UK, 2017.