Use your browser's BACK button to return to the collection gallery

Title: Portrait of William Cowper

Date: 1900
Engraving on paper with hand colouring
John Chapman
Provenance: untraced find, 1910
Museum No. OLNCN 345

This is said to be a portrait of Cowper aged 32, after a pastel drawing by John Russell (1745-1806). An inscription at the centre of the base reads:

'Newly Discovered Portrait of Cowper Painted c.1763.'

Born in Guildford, John Russell, RA trained (from the age of 15) under Francis Cotes, RA (1726-70) one of the pioneers of English pastel work. Russell stayed with Cotes until 1767 which suggests that this portrait would have been made whilst still under Cotes's tutelage.

Not only a portrait painter, Russell taught on the technical aspects of art, writing Elements of Painting with Crayons, 1772. He was elected a Royal Academician in 1788, exhibiting 330 works at the Academy from 1769 until his death, and winning the gold medal for figure drawing in 1770.

With growing success, and recognition for his portrait of the royal physician Francis Willis, 1789, Russell was appointed Crayon [pastel] Painter to King George III, Queen Charlotte, the Prince of Wales (both of whom Russell also painted) and the Duke of York. It was through their patronage that he developed a large and fashionable clientele.

Although now not widely known, Russell's larger portraits of the aristocracy and upper middle classes often commanded similar sums to those of artists such as Sir Joshua Reynolds (723-92).

The Connoisseur, January 1909, p.61 illustrates a Wedgwood bust of Cowper in Egyptian basalt whose features have much in common with this portrait. It comments that the 'expressive sadness of the face is in accord with the character of the man'.


Images & text © 2009 The Cowper & Newton Museum (unless stated otherwise) website by Jeremy Cooper at oliomedia