John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll, about 1693 - 1770. Soldier
About this artwork
Gainsborough's full-length portrait of 4th Duke of Argyll shows him in his magnificent peer's robes, a perfect subject for the artist's dazzling brushwork. The Duke rests one hand on his coronet and in the other holds the baton of Hereditary Master of the King's Household. He wears the splendid chain of the Order of the Thistle. He inherited the dukedom when he was sixty-seven, having had a distinguished career as a soldier. In 1745 he defended the west of Scotland against Prince Charles Edward Stewart's ('Bonnie Prince Charlie's') forces, and in 1746 succeeded the Duke of Cumberland as commander in Scotland.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Thomas Gainsborough (1727 - 1788) English
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title:John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll, about 1693 - 1770. Soldier
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date created:1767
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materials:Oil on canvas
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measurements:235.00 x 154.30 cm; Framed: 265.60 x 183.20 x 13.40 cm / 63.00 kg
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1953
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accession number:PG 1596
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gallery:
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subject:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough
Gainsborough excelled as a portrait and landscape painter. He was born in Sudbury, Suffolk, and trained in London. He became a highly successful artist, first in Ipswich, then in Bath. He concentrated on portraiture to make a living and continued to build on the grand manner of Van Dyck, but also...