Dobson Self Portrait acquired by Tate and NPG
June 1 2025
Picture: Bonhams
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Waldemar Januszczak in The Sunday Times that William Dobson's earliest Self Portrait has been jointly acquired by Tate and the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London for £2,367,405. The picture had realised £1,106,500 over its £200k - £300k estimate at Bonhams in 2016 where it was acquired for a private collection.
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Fans of the period will know that another Self Portrait by the artist is owned by the Earl of Jersey and is currently on permanent loan to Osterley Park, run by The National Trust. On balance, I'm sure many would agree that the Jersey picture is more interesting and desirable for historical and aesthetic reasons (not to mention its obvious connection to the ex-Jersey collection Van Dyck Self portrait acquired by the NPG in 2014). Might this new acquisition suggest that neither institution might be willing step in to help acquire the Jersey picture, if it indeed ever came up on the market in the future?
