RARE FINE QUALITY GEORGIAN WAX PORTRAIT
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe .. 1st Earl Howe
Signed John Flaxman..employed by the potter Josiah Wedgwood 1775
Circa 1790
I have a set of four which could be purchased together, these are one of the best and finest examples i have seen, the wax reliefs are detailed and the colours lovely
This is a wonderful Fine Quality Rare 18th Century Georgian Wax Profile Portrait of Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe .. 1st Earl Howe, it is signed by the world renowned sculpter and modeller John Flaxman, i would date this to circa 1790 making it over 230 years old, it is beautifully framed in a beautiful vaneered wood, the Wax Portrait itself is mounted within the frame and sits upon a glass backing that has been coloured black, this has a glass covering to the front, this is called a shadow box, the hand painted wax portrait is breath taking, it is so finely sculpted and modelled with so much life like detailing, it is all hand painted , the detailing is very fine, he has a detailed face with blue eyes, white hair ( wig ) tied to the back with a lovely ribbon, the coat now green but would have been a dark blue when first crafted and the trim a tarnished brown. there is another one the same as this on display at the National Portrait Gallery, the quality of the craftsmanship is superb, as you would expected being crafted by one of the finest british sculpters and modellers of the 18th century, this will add something very special to any collection, my photos really dont do this justice at all
The last image shows Lord Howe on the Deck of the 'Queen Charlotte', 1 June 1794, by Mather Brown
This work commemorates the Battle of the Glorious First of June, 1794. Lord Howe is second from the left in the group on 'Queen Charlotte's' quarter-deck, in admiral's full-dress uniform, 1787–1795, wearing a cocked hat. Though shown in uniform, during the battle he was reported as wearing an old civilian coat and knitted woollen cap. To the left, the Captain of the Fleet, Sir Roger Curtis, leans on a cannon. He wears the full-dress uniform of a commodore, 1787–1795.
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe .. 1st Earl Howe
Howe was born in Albemarle Street, London, the second son of Emanuel Howe, 2nd Viscount Howe, who died as governor of Barbados in March 1735, and of Charlotte, a daughter of Baroness von Kielmansegg, afterwards Countess of Darlington, the half-sister of King George I......
Howe died at his home at 11 Grafton Street in London on 5 August 1799 and was buried in his family vault at St Andrew's Church, Langar in Nottinghamshire. His monument by John Flaxman is in the south aisle at St Paul's Cathedral.
After education at Eton College, Richard Howe entered the navy in the fourth-rate HMS Pearl in July 1739.[2] He then transferred to the fourth-rate HMS Severn, one of the squadron sent into the south seas with Admiral George Anson in 1740. Severn sailed to Cape Horn and then, after encountering storms, returned home in Spring 1742. Howe next served in the West Indies aboard the third-rate HMS Burford and was present when she was severely damaged in the unsuccessful attack on La Guaira in February 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession.He transferred to the third-rate HMS Suffolk, flagship of Admiral Sir Charles Knowles, Commander-in-Chief in the West Indies, in March 1743 and then to the fifth-rate HMS Eltham in July 1743, before being promoted to midshipman on 8 October 1743 and returning to HMS Suffolk later that month. Promoted to lieutenant on 25 May 1744, he joined the bomb vessel HMS Comet and then transferred to the first-rate HMS Royal George, flagship of Admiral Edward Vernon, in August 1745.
Promoted to commander on 5 November 1745, Howe was commanding officer of the sloop HMS Baltimore in the North Sea during the Jacobite rising of 1745 and was severely wounded in the head while cooperating with a frigate in an engagement with two French privateers. Promoted to post-captain on 10 April 1746, he was given command of the sixth-rate HMS Triton and took part in convoy duties off Lisbon. He transferred to the command of the fourth-rate HMS Ripon in Summer 1747 and sailed to the West Indies before becoming Flag Captain to Admiral Sir Charles Knowles, Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica, in the third-rate HMS Cornwall in October 1748. He was given command of the fifth-rate HMS Glory off the coast of West Africa in March 1751 and then transferred to the command of the sixth-rate HMS Dolphin in the Mediterranean Fleet in June 1752.
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, KG (8 March 1726 – 5 August 1799) was a British naval officer. After serving throughout the War of the Austrian Succession, he gained a reputation for his role in amphibious operations against the French coast as part of Britain's policy of naval descents during the Seven Years' War. He also took part, as a naval captain, in the decisive British naval victory at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in November 1759.
In North America, Howe is best known for his service during the American Revolutionary War, when he acted as a naval commander and a peace commissioner with the American rebels; he also conducted a successful relief during the Great Siege of Gibraltar in the later stages of the War.
Howe later commanded the victorious British fleet during the Glorious First of June in June 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars.
18th century..Sculpter ( Modeller )....John Flaxman
John Flaxman RA (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several years in Rome, where he produced his first book illustrations. He was a prolific maker of funerary monuments.
From 1775 he was employed by the potter Josiah Wedgwood and his partner Bentley, for whom his father had also done some work, modelling reliefs for use on the company's jasperware and basaltware. The usual procedure was to model the reliefs in wax on slate or glass grounds before they cast for production. D'Hancarville's engravings of Sir William Hamilton's collection of ancient Greek vases were an important influence on his work.
Date..... circa 1790
Measurements....frame 19.5 cm height....17 cm width...
Condition....wonderful with the normal amount of wear expect, the frame has a small knock to one edge but it doesnt detract at all from its beauty, just mentioned for accuracy