_-_Admiral_Sir_George_Anson_(1697%E2%80%931762)%2C_Baron_Anson_of_Soberton_-_1271068_-_National_Trust.jpg&width=1200)
Admiral Sir George Anson, Baron Anson of Soberton (1697-1762)
Joshua Reynolds·1755
Historical Context
Reynolds painted Admiral George Anson around 1755, depicting the famous naval commander whose circumnavigation of the globe (1740-44) had made him a national hero and whose administrative reforms as First Lord of the Admiralty modernized the Royal Navy. Anson's voyage, though it cost the lives of most of his crew, captured a Spanish treasure galleon and made him enormously wealthy. Now in a National Trust property, the portrait documents one of the most consequential figures in British naval history.
Technical Analysis
The naval portrait presents the admiral with dignified authority. Reynolds's handling of the uniform and features creates an image of maritime command.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the dignified naval bearing of an officer whose circumnavigation of the globe made him a national hero
- ◆Look at the standard grand manner formula Reynolds developed for senior military and naval officers
- ◆Observe the composed, authoritative expression appropriate to the administrator who reformed the Royal Navy
- ◆Find the handling of the naval uniform that gives Reynolds material for his most careful texture work
- ◆Notice this portrait's connection to the Parker family collection that would later become a major National Trust holding
See It In Person
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