NPG bids for Wellington

November 7 2016

Picture: NPG

The National Portrait Gallery in London is hoping to secure Sir Thomas Lawrence's last, unfinished portrait of the Duke of Wellington for £1.3m. The picture was sold from the Jersey collection in 2013 for £965,000, which at the time I thought was an extraordinary bargain. The picture has been on display at the NPG since then, and is being sold by its private owner. I still think the picture is a bargain, and that its relatively low price reflects the fact that at the time of its sale it was an almost entirely unknown image. A less well painted, but more familiar, image of Wellington by Lawrence had sold for over £2m in 2006. Over time, I'm sure the unfinished work will become a more iconic image.

I hope the NPG succeeds - and not just because Wellington is an ancestor of mine (where else do you think the nose comes from?). You can support the campaign here. 

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