
Poppy Harvey-Jones
Head of Sale
This auction has ended. View lot details
Sold for £13,750 inc. premium
Our Old Master Paintings specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialist
Head of Sale
The son of the Prime Minister, George Grenville, this George Grenville was also destined to become another prominent politician. After serving in the House of Commons he succeeded his uncle as 3rd Earl Temple in 1779. After being Lord Lieutenant of first Buckinghamshire and then Ireland he rose to ascendancy as the King's supporter against the Fox-North administration and went on to become Home Secretary in 1783 when his cousin William Pitt became prime Minister. He was then rewarded in 1784 with the Marquessate of Buckingham (which he came close to refusing on the grounds that he believed himself worthy of a dukedom). He was made a Knight of the Garter in 1801. In November 1787, he was again appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, this time under Pitt, but his second tenure of this office proved less successful than the first. Grattan denounced him for extravagance; the Irish Houses of Parliament censured him for refusing to transmit to England an address calling upon the Prince of Wales to assume the regency; and he could only maintain his position by resorting to bribery on a large scale. Having become very unpopular, he resigned his office in September 1789. He subsequently took very little part in politics.
Buckingham largely completed the magnificent construction of Stowe begun by his uncle and was depicted by Gainsborough and by Reynolds in a family portrait, amongst other artists, as well as being the subject of numerous caricatures, including several by Gillray, who depicted him as a pig (with his nose in the political trough).
Please note that the present portrait depicts Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, the future 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1776-1839), when he was Earl Temple. A full length version of the portrait by Beechey is at Stowe and a caricature entitled "A View of a Temple at Stowe" published by Dighton in 1811 in which the sitter wears the same uniform confirms the sitter's identity. Although it was green at a later date it has been suggested that the uniform may be that of the Bucks militia at this date (a comparable red uniform with blue lapels and similar rows of buttons was worn by the Canadian militia, for example, around this time).