One of the most famous portraits of the Duke of Wellington is to be exhibited at Christie’s before going under the hammer, giving visitors a rare chance to see the celebrated painting for free.
The Duke of Wellington by Sir Thomas Lawrence (c) Christie’s
Sir Thomas Lawrence first painted the Duke in the summer of 1814, in the wake of his victorious Peninsular Campaign against Napoleon’s armies in Portugal and Spain. The challenge for the artist, Wellington’s exact contemporary, was how to capture both the celebrity and the humanity of the greatest military hero of the day, a man feted as Europe’s military saviour.
Over the next 15 years, Lawrence was to execute eight portraits of Wellington, and it is perhaps these portraits, more than those of any other artist, that have defined Wellington in visual terms for posterity.
The painting on display is the one that helped secure Lawrence’s reputation as a portrait painter and was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1822 to great acclaim. It was also this portrait that the sitter chose to gift to his friends and admirers as a mezzotint by Samuel Cousins, thus establishing it as one of the best-known images of the Duke.
The painting will go on display at Christies as part of the Old Masters sale.
The exhibition is officially for potential buyers, but anyone is welcome to go in and see it as well, as auction houses often have these “free exhibitions” to visit.
The Duke, and other paintings from the auction, will be on display on the following days:
Fri 26 June 9am to 5pm
Sat 27 June 12pm to 5pm
Sun 28 June 12pm to 5pm
Mon 29 June 9am to 5pm
Tues 30 June 9am to 2pm
Christie’s is on King’s Street, a short walk from Piccadilly Circus or Trafalgar Square.
Details here.