Picture Archive & Historical Portraits
Skip to main content
  • Menu
  • Artists
  • Artworks
  • Image Licensing
  • Philip Mould Gallery
  • Contact
Menu
Portrait of Philip Harding

Browse artworks

Sir Martin Archer Shee PRA, Portrait of Philip Harding, 1790s

Sir Martin Archer Shee PRA

Portrait of Philip Harding, 1790s
Oil on canvas
30 x 25 in. (76 x 63.5 cm)
Philip Mould & Co.
License Image
%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22artist%22%3ESir%20Martin%20Archer%20Shee%20PRA%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22title_and_year%22%3E%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_title%22%3EPortrait%20of%20Philip%20Harding%3C/span%3E%2C%20%3Cspan%20class%3D%22title_and_year_year%22%3E1790s%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22medium%22%3EOil%20on%20canvas%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22dimensions%22%3E30%20x%2025%20in.%20%2876%20x%2063.5%20cm%29%3C/div%3E
For all available works visit philipmould.com  Born in Dublin and studying at the city's Royal Society Schools from 1781-83, where he won medals for both landscape and portraiture, Shee...
Read more

For all available works visit philipmould.com



Born in Dublin and studying at the city's Royal Society Schools from 1781-83, where he won medals for both landscape and portraiture, Shee had established himself as a crayon portraitist of renown by the age of sixteen.

He moved to London in 1788 and entered the Royal Academy schools two years later on the advice of Reynolds and Gilbert Stuart,both of whom were to become strong influences on his style. Concentrating on oils and initially producing historical works, Shee moved into Lawrence's old studio in Jermyn Street that year and went on to become a much respected and highly successful society portrait painter. He was friendly with Hoppner and was similarly courted for Royal commissions; a portrait of Queen Adelaide was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1837, and that of Queen Victoria in robes worn at the opening of Parliament, in 1843. Lawrence was a further life-long influence, and in 1830 Shee was both knighted and succeeded him as President of the Royal Academy.

Aside from his considerable skills with pastels and brush, Shee was further known as a poet, novelist, critic and writer on art. He wrote ''Elements of Art'' in 1805, ''Commemoration of Reynolds and other poems'' in 1814 and two full length novels in 1829 and 1834. Byron was clearly sympathetic to his literary outings and in ''English Bards and Scotch Reviewers'', he writes of the artist;

''And here let Shee and genius find a place
Whose pen and pencil yield an equal grace:
To guide whose hand a sister art combine,
And trace the poet's as the painter's line;
Whose magic touch can bid the canvas glow
And pour the easy rhymes harmonious flow'' (1)

Little of significance is known about Philip Harding, but a portrait of a ''Mr. Harding'' by Shee is noted in the Royal Academy exhibition lists of 1793 (no. 626). Whilst Strickland has assumed this to refer to a portrait of a Mr. Edward Harding, a likely relation who was librarian to Queen Charlotte and resident at Buckingham Palace, there is no evidence to suggest that it could not equally refer to this painting.

(1) The Life of Martin Archer Shee, Vol. I, p. 331.

Close full details

Provenance

Viscount Curzon, Kedleston House, Derbyshire;
Sold at Christie's, 22nd May 1955

Exhibitions

Possibly exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1793
Share
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Email
Previous
|
Next
33 
of  2010
PHILIP MOULD & COMPANY
CONTACT

+44 (0)20 7499 6818
art@philipmould.com

18-19 Pall Mall
London SW1Y 5LU

philipmould.com

FOLLOW US

Instagram

Facebook

TikTok

YouTube

Artsy

 

Join the mailing list
Manage cookies
Copyright © 2025 Picture Archive & Historical Portraits
Site by Artlogic

This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to help make it more useful to you. Please contact us to find out more about our Cookie Policy.

Manage cookies
Accept

Cookie preferences

Check the boxes for the cookie categories you allow our site to use

Cookie options
Required for the website to function and cannot be disabled.
Improve your experience on the website by storing choices you make about how it should function.
Allow us to collect anonymous usage data in order to improve the experience on our website.
Allow us to identify our visitors so that we can offer personalised, targeted marketing.
Save preferences
Close

Be the first to hear about our available artworks

Interests *

Sign Up

* denotes required fields

We will process the personal data you have supplied in accordance with our privacy policy (available on request). You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails.