George Romney

1784

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

This unfinished self-portrait was begun for the artist’s friend and biographer William Hayley during a trip that Romney and the artist John Flaxman made to Hayley’s villa. Romney took it back to his studio, but around 1787 it was sent to Hayley "as is," without being completed. The painting was both praised for its vivacity and questioned for its incomplete state by those who knew the story of its making. Hayley gave the portrait to John Romney, the artist’s son, around 1820, and it was later owned by Romney’s granddaughter Elizabeth.

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: George Romney
Artist: George Romney (British, Beckside, Lancashire 1734–1802 Kendal, Cumbria)
Date: 1784
Geography: Country of Origin Great Britain
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 51 3/8 × 40 15/16 in. (130.5 × 104 cm)
Framed: 59 5/8 × 49 1/2 in. (151.5 × 125.7 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: National Portrait Gallery, London. Purchased, 1894 (NPG 959)
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art