John Hoppner RA
Vice Admiral Horatio (1758-1805), Viscount Nelson, 1802
Oil on canvas
30 x 25 inches (76.2 x 63.5 cm)
Half-length, wearing Rear-Admiral''s uniform and regalia. Although painted in 1802, it makes use of an earlier sketch painted before his promotion in 1801 to Vice-Admiral.
Philip Mould & Co.
To view all current artworks for sale visit philipmould.com Arguably the most important portrait of Nelson, this is the from-life head and shoulders for the Hoppner full length in...
To view all current artworks for sale visit philipmould.com
Arguably the most important portrait of Nelson, this is the from-life head and shoulders for the Hoppner full length in the Queen's collection. The picture can be seen as the most honest and compelling image of Nelson, an extremely forthright rendering of the naval commander as he was three years before Trafalgar, his reputation already established as our greatest naval hero. It shows the inner man, who was maimed by war and who suffered, as opposed to the adonised image with which we are more familiar. His features are haggard and slightly sunken, and no attempt is made to disguise his useless eye or the heavy creases leading from chin to nose. Perhaps because of this honesty, and despite his sickly pallor, he comes across as a figure of great strength and humanity; it becomes possible to perceive the qualities that so fascinated Lady Hamilton and impressed society to such a degree.
Arguably the most important portrait of Nelson, this is the from-life head and shoulders for the Hoppner full length in the Queen's collection. The picture can be seen as the most honest and compelling image of Nelson, an extremely forthright rendering of the naval commander as he was three years before Trafalgar, his reputation already established as our greatest naval hero. It shows the inner man, who was maimed by war and who suffered, as opposed to the adonised image with which we are more familiar. His features are haggard and slightly sunken, and no attempt is made to disguise his useless eye or the heavy creases leading from chin to nose. Perhaps because of this honesty, and despite his sickly pallor, he comes across as a figure of great strength and humanity; it becomes possible to perceive the qualities that so fascinated Lady Hamilton and impressed society to such a degree.