This is an early 19th century wax portrait bas-relief of Arthur Wellesley the first Duke of Wellington by Thomas Wyon the elder (1767 – 1830). It measures approximately 9″(h) x 7″(w) framed and is in good overall condition. The wax portrait is mounted to blackened glass and sits behind glass in the original frame, it is signed “Wyon” on the base of the neck. The mounting glass shows some signs of separation of the blackened pigment but is not loose, the actual wax looks intact with only some minor surface aging, and the frame is structurally sound and ready to hang.

ABOUT THOMAS WYON

Thomas Wyon the elder (1767–1830) of the Wyon family was an English engraver of dies, who became Chief Engraver of the Seals.

ABOUT THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS  (1769 – 1852), was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of the United Kingdom.

PROVENANCE

From a South Florida collector, previously purchased from the collection of D.R. Reilly.
Postcard with later annotation about the artwork and labels verso.