Frederic Leighton, Baron Leighton by George Frederic Watts RA (1817-1904). 1884-85. Oil on canvas. 1881. 39 1/4 x 30 in.1 (997 mm. x 761 mm). Collection: National Portrait Gallery, London. NPG 1049. Given by the artist in 1896. Kindly released by the gallery under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported) licence.
This is very similar to the portrait engraved by M. Klinkicht, and featured in the Magazine of Art XI (1888). The original for that one is in the collection of Royal Academy, again, as gift from the artist. Absent here are the details criticised in the Magazine of Art ("We cannot say that the legs of the wrestler and the tail end of the python of the President's famous statue are highly-pictorial adjuncts as represented in the corner of the picture..."), and the distinguished sitter in his robes of office merely looks thoughtful as he poses comfortably in his chair, his portfolio beside him. Here is another example of the Watts that most people think of — "the sober portraitist of the great" (Blunt 25).
Bibliography
Blunt, Wilfrid Scawen. "England's Michaelangelo": A Biography of George Frederic Watts, OM., R.A. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1975.
"George Frederic Watts: Frederic Leighton, Baron Leighton." National Portrait Gallery. Web. 3 October 2024.
Created 3 October 2024