Field Marshall Duke of Wellington, KG, KB (after John Hoppner)

 

George Clint

 

1814  

color mezzotint and etching 

25 5/8 x 17 11/16" image size 

both artists' names engraved in plate beneath image 

not stated 

engraved in plate beneath title: "From the Original Picture painted by Order of the Civil and Military Servants of the Honble. East India Company / by the late John Hoppner, Esqr. R.A. & Engraved by George Clint", and "Published Augt. 20 1814, by T. Palse 

O'Donoghue 1908-25 / Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits preserved in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum (59); British Museum acc. no. 1881,1112.233 

antique-white wove 

published 

Thomas Palser, London 

25191 

$800.00 

A portrait of the famed First Duke of Wellingham, Arthur Wellesley (1769-1852), Commander in Chief of the British Army and the "hero of Waterloo," and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1828 to 1830 (and again, briefly, in 1834). The original painting after which this was done, executed by John Hoppner in 1804, preceeded the Duke's military most famous victory against Napolean at Waterloo by ten years - though by then he had already become a successful military leader, achieving major victories in Maratha, India and Madrid, Spain.

This mezzotint was published in August of 1814, just three months after his subsequent bestowment of dukedom in by the British government.

The 1804 painting showed the young major-general after his triumph over the Maratha Confederacy in the Battle of Assaye (on behalf of the British East India Company), in 1803. In it, the Duke's war horse and its Marathan handler were shown in the background. George Clint removed these to focus solely on the Duke, and took liberties with his appearance including the change of the sash color from red to blue and the addition of gold ropes draped from the epaulet shown at left.

It appears that impressions of this mezzotint in color are rare; impressions in black and white are frequently found in online auction records but color impressions are not. It may be that this comes from a special edition from before the regular, published edition.

A note on the condition: this work has been professionally cleaned but still exhibits traces of waterstaining in the lower margin and foxing on the verso. The work was also trimmed to the platemark. Despite these not-uncommon issues, the work is is good condition, retaining the ink's colors and the paper's integrity.