James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale, 1759-1760 by Sir Joshua Reynolds ::

Details

Date

1759-1760

Media category

Painting

Materials used

oil on canvas

Dimensions

239 x 148.5 cm stretcher; 263.5 x 172.0 x 9.0 cm frame

Signature & date

Signed and dated l.l., black "... 1753 Sir Joshua Reynolds...".

Credit

Purchased with an anonymous gift fund for an 18th century portrait 1976

Location

South Building, ground level, Grand Courts

Accession number

8.1977

Copyright

Reproduction requests

Artist information

Sir Joshua Reynolds

Works in the collection

2

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About

With blue eyes and flowing brown hair (probably not
entirely his own), the 41-year-old Lord Lauderdale
(1718–89) is dressed in his coronation robes,
comprising a crimson velvet cloak with white fur
cape and collar. The three rows of ermine on the
cape indicate his status as an earl. On the left is an
earl’s coronet with eight silver balls alternating with
gold strawberry leaves. A ceremonial sword hangs
at his waist.

Unequalled in his capacity for flattering portrayal,
Reynolds shows the sophisticated Scottish
aristocrat leaning on the base of a Solomonic
(twisted) column – suggestive of a trip to Italy he
never in fact made – which introduces an air of
nonchalance into this otherwise formal 18th-century
‘grand manner’ portrait.

Exhibition history

Shown in 6 exhibitions

Pictures and furnishings from Scotland's famous houses, 5 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, , 20 Aug 1950–09 Sep 1950
Art Treasures Centenary 1957, Manchester City Art Gallery, Manchester, 30 Oct 1957–31 Dec 1957
Exhibition of works by Sir Joshua Reynolds P.R.A. 1723-1792, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham, 18 Feb 1961–19 Mar 1961
European Old Masters 16th-19th Century from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Hazelhurst Arts Centre, , 28 Sep 2017–03 Dec 2017
Archie Plus, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 26 Sep 2020–07 Mar 2021
Grand Courts collection rehang, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Nov 2021–2023

Bibliography

Referenced in 23 publications

Anon., Scotsman, no 33441, 'Treasures of Scotland – furnishings from famous houses – the Queen's find', 02 Aug 1950, p 4.
Sir Walter Armstrong, Sir Joshua Reynolds, first president of the Royal Academy, London, 1900, p 216.
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Exhibition of works by Sir Joshua Reynolds, PRA, 1723–1792, Birmingham, 1961, p 24, no 32.
Edmund Capon AM, OBE and Jan Meek (Editors), Portrait of a Gallery, Sydney, 1984, p 22.
Martin Davies, Burlington Magazine, vol 92, no 572, 'Pictures and furnishings from Scotland's famous houses', London, Nov 1950, pp 319–20: p 319, illus p 218, fig 20.
Renée Free, Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook, 'European', Sydney, 1988, pp 36–56: p 38.
Renée Free, Art Gallery of New South Wales catalogue of British paintings, Sydney, 1987, p 163, illus p 163.
Kenneth Garlick, Guardian, no 35 655, 'Painter and scholar', London, 20 Feb 1961, p 7.
Anne Gérard-Austin, Look, 'From the sidelines – Going for gold', Sydney, Jul 2019-Aug 2019, pp 36–38: p 37, no C, col illus p 38.
Robin Gibson, Burlington Magazine, vol 116, no 860, 'Reynolds by Ellis Waterhouse', London, Nov 1974, p 683.
Algernon Graves and William Vine Cronin, A history of the works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, PRA, 4 vols, London, 1899-1901, vol 2, 1899, p 566.
Manchester City Art Gallery, European old masters: art treasures centenary, 30th October to 31st December 1957: commemorating the famous exhibition, the Art treasures of the United Kingdom, held at Manchester in 1857, 1957, p 53, no 191.
David Mannings, Sir Joshua Reynolds: a complete catalogue of his paintings, 2 vols, New Haven, 2000, vol 1 [text], p 317, no 1173, illus vol 2 [plates], p 251, fig 431.
Peter Tomory and Robert Gaston, European Paintings before 1800 in Australian and New Zealand public collections, Sydney, 1989, p 42, illus p 43, pl 111.
Ellis Kirkham Waterhouse, Pelican History of Art: Painting in Britain 1530-1790, England, 1953, p 167, illus pl 130.
Ellis Kirkham Waterhouse, Reynolds, London, 1973, pp 19, 46, note 27, 188, illus pl 27.
Art Gallery of New South Wales trustees' minutes 1976, Sydney, 1976, p 8507 (27 Feb).
Pictures and furnishings from Scotland's famous houses, Edinburgh, 1950, p 25, no 56.
Art Gallery of New South Wales annual report 1976, Sydney, 1976, pp 5, 7.
Art Gallery of New South Wales trustees' minutes 1977, Sydney, 1977, p 8710 (22 Apr).
Art Gallery of New South Wales annual report 1977, Sydney, 1977, pp 6, 17.
Apollo, vol 103, no 170, London, Mar 1976, p 22 (Christie's advertisement).
Important English pictures..., London, 26 Mar 1976, p 51, no 101, col illus p 50.

Provenance

James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale, 1761-26 Mar 1976, England, Painted for James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale (1718–89), Thirlestane Castle, Lauder, Berwickshire, Scotland, 1759–60 (delivered probably in 1761); by descent to Ian Colin Maitland, 15th Earl of Lauderdale (1891–1953); by inheritance to his widow Ethel Mary Maitland, Dowager Countess of Lauderdale (1891–1970); by descent to her grandson, the Hon Gerald Edward Ian Maitland-Carew (b 1941); sold by him Christie's London, 26 Mar 1976, no 101.

Christie's London, 26 Mar 1976, London/England, Purchased by the AGNSW from Christie's London, 26 March 1976, no 101.

James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale