Old Master & 19th Century Paintings
Old Master & 19th Century Paintings
Property from the Berkeley Collection at Spetchley Park
Portrait of Admiral Sir Charles Wager (1666–1743)
No reserve
Lot Closed
April 5, 12:10 PM GMT
Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from the Berkeley Collection at Spetchley Park
Thomas Gibson
London 1680–1751
Portrait of Admiral Sir Charles Wager (1666–1743)
oil on canvas
unframed: 125.3 x 101.5 cm.; 49⅜ x 40 in.
framed: 150 x 125.4 cm.; 59⅛ x 49⅜ in.
Richard Temple-Nugent-Bryges-Chandos-Grenville, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1797–1861), Stowe House, Buckinghamshire;
His sale, Christie's, on the premises, Stowe House, 14 September 1848 (15 August–7 October 1848), lot 302, to R. Berkeley, Esq., for £8.18s.6d. (as Dahl);
Robert Berkeley (1794–1874), Spetchley Park;
Thence by descent to the present owner.
Inventory and Valuation of the furniture and effects at Spetchley Park, Worcester, The Property of R.G. Berkeley, Esquire, December 1949, listed in the 'Middle Hall', p. 117 (as Dahl).
Admiral Sir Charles Wager (1666–1743) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He served mainly in the West Indies and after his successful expedition to Cartagena he was knighted in 1709. In around 1734 Wager was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty and Treasurer of the Navy. He was involved in the development of new bases in the Caribbean and was an early innovator in the use of citrus fruits against scurvy. He was subsequently elected MP for Westminster where his opinion was highly regarded; his written letters survive to this day. He is buried in Westminster Abbey. The most notable likeness of Wager is a three-quarter-length portrait by Sir Godfrey Kneller in the National Maritime Museum, London.1
1 https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-14547