'Art for the Nation' John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich and 1st Lord of the Admiralty by Thomas Gainsborough (tactile)
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- Synopsis
- Date: 1783. Materials: oil on canvas. Size: 232.2 x 151.4 mm. Sandwich Sandwich (1718-92) was First Lord of the Admiralty on three separate occasions. The most notable was his last term during the American War of Independence (1775-83) when he initiated notable reforms in the dockyards and ship construction. A supporter of exploration, he initiated an attempt to reach the North Pole and sponsored Captain James Cooks Pacific voyages. Cook named the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii) after him. The sandwich is also named after him, reputedly as a handy snack at the gambling table. However this is a scurrilous myth. Sandwich was not a gambler and it was more probably to sustain him during the long hours at his desk at the Admiralty. Sandwich was a hard-working, approachable person with wide and varied passions. He enthusiastically pioneered cricket and promoted what was at the time termed ancient music. A devotee of the music of George Frideric Handel, he saved his work from obscurity by organising a performance of The Messiah for King George III that helped ensure its lasting popularity. His private life was just as colourful but sadly marred by tragedy. His wife was declared insane and his mistress, the singer Martha Ray, with whom he had five illegitimate children, was shot dead on the steps of Covent Garden Theatre by a rival suitor. Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (1727-88) is considered to be one of the most important and influential portrait and landscape painters of 18th-century England. Born in rural Suffolk, he had a natural gift for painting. However, unlike many other artists he did not venture to Italy to study the great masters of art but remained in England throughout his life. This approach greatly influenced his artistic style, liberating him from the application of formal art rules and allowing him the creative freedom to paint in a fresh and informal manner, responding directly to his observations of nature. The painting Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser commissioned this painting of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich and First Lord of the Admiralty, as an expression of his thanks to Montagu for appointing him Governor of the Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich in 1780. The Hospital was built in 1764-68 during Montagu's previous term as First Lord of the Admiralty. Palliser remained in this post for the rest of his life. Gainsborough portrays Sandwich in a dignified yet relaxed and informal pose. He is shown standing in the shade next to the large square base of a round column at the front of the Hospital, his body facing the viewer and his head turned very slightly to his right looking away to the distance. He is holding a partly rolled-up plan of its infirmary in his left hand and he is leaning slightly to his left, with his left elbow gently resting on the base of the large pillar. Sandwich is wearing black shoes with large gold buckles, white silk knee-length stockings, and a black velvet suit consisting of knee breeches, knee-length jacket with green silk lining and waistcoat. The suit is trimmed with gold brocade: on the breeches around the knees; 2 strips around each cuff of the jacket; the edges of the jacket and waistcoat; and additional strips at the bottom of the waistcoat. Lace trimmings are shown at the cuffs of the jacket and around his neck. He wears a wig with a centre parting and rolls of curls. A decorative sword is shown hanging from his waist; the sword's handle is on his left, and the sword's tip is on his right.
- Copyright:
- 2011
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Excellent
- Publisher:
- RNIB
- Date of Addition:
- 04/12/17
- Copyrighted By:
- RNIB
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- Art and Architecture
- Submitted By:
- Sarah Bennett
- Proofread By:
- N/A
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.