Hugh Douglas Hamilton

Commissioned by the sitter and thence by inheritance to his sister, Lady Mary Montagu, who married Sir Danvers Osborn (1715-1753), Governor of New York;

Thence by direct descent.

Probably London, Society of Artists, 1767, no. 68;

London, South Kensington Museum, The third and concluding exhibition of National Portraits, April – August 1868, no. 826 (lent by Sir G. R. Osborn Bt.; as Zoffany).

J. Kerslake, Early Georgian Portraits, London 1977, pp. 116-17.

The following condition report is provided by Hamish Dewar who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's: Structural Condition The canvas is lined and is securely attached to a keyed wooden stretcher. This is providing a stable structural support. There are two old labels on the reverse of the stretcher. Paint Surface The paint surface has a slightly uneven varnish layer. There are some minor surface scratches and inconsistencies within the varnish layers. There is a pattern of fine lines of craquelure which appears entirely stable. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows an opaque and discoloured varnish layer. Inspection under ultra-violet light also shows some retouchings within the right hand figure's clothing including an area within the lower part of his jacket and retouchings around the legs of the figure on the left. There may be other retouchings beneath the varnish layers but due to the opaque and discoloured nature of the varnish layers it is difficult to ascertain the extent of any previous restoration work. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in good and stable condition and would benefit from surface cleaning and revarnishing.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This important portrait of the 2nd Earl of Halifax, one of the leading British statesmen of the Georgian era and the ‘Father of the Colonies’, was painted by the Irish portrait artist Hugh Douglas Hamilton. As President of the Board of Trade from 1748-61 Halifax did much to foster trade in North America and was responsible for the foundation of Nova Scotia. Its capital, Halifax, is named after him.

Halifax was the son of George Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax (c. 1684-1739) and his wife Lady Mary Lumley, daughter of Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough (1650-1721). Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1741 he married Anne Richards, who had inherited a great fortune from Sir Thomas Dunk (d. 1718) and thus Halifax incorporated that name into his own. Halifax started his career as an official in the household of Frederick, Prince of Wales, serving as Master of the Buckhounds in 1744, and in 1748 he was appointed President of the Board of Trade. He remained in this post until 1761 and during his time as President he did so much to promote commerce and trade in North America that he became known as the ‘Father of the Colonies’. It was also in this role, which gave Halifax full control of the administration of colonial affairs that he helped to found the British colony of Nova Scotia, and it is for him that the capital, Halifax, is named. In March 1761 he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and it was probably during this time that he would have first come into contact with Hamilton, who was a leading figure in the Dublin art world. Halifax also served as First Lord of the Admiralty and in October 1762 became Secretary of State for the Northern Department under Lord Bute, before being promoted to Secretary of State for the Southern Department the following year. In 1766 he inherited Stansted Park from his uncle, James Lumley, and in 1770 he was appointed Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, under the premiership of his nephew Lord North.

Hugh Douglas Hamilton came to London from Dublin in 1764 and in 1767 ‘Mr Hamilton, Bond Street’ exhibited a painting of ‘A nobleman and his secretary, a conversation’ at the Society of Artists exhibition, no. 68. Horace Walpole, in his copy of the exhibition catalogue, identified the pictures as ‘Earl of Halifax, Mr Sedgwicke & Mr Lovel Stanhope [sic]’,¹ and it is very likely that the picture in question was this painting, which is similarly inscribed on the back. The painting is dated 1765, when Halifax was Secretary of State for the Southern Department, Edward Sedgwick was under-secretary for American affairs, a sub-division of the department, and Lovell Stanhope, who was later Member of Parliament for Winchester, was also an under-secretary.  Halifax wears the star of the Order of the Garter, which he received in 1764, over his mauve frock coat and dictates a letter to one of his secretaries, whilst the other seals them. Behind the damask curtain, on the left, is a long bookcase, and the setting is likely to the library at Stansted Park.  

A copy, in pastel, thought to be by Daniel Gardiner is in the National Portrait Gallery, London (NPG 3328). It came from Ettington Park, home of the Shirley family who were related to Lovell Stanhope, his great-niece having married Evelyn John Shirley of Ettington.

^1. Walpole Society, vol. XXVII, p. 67