| Portrait of the Duke of Wellington | |
|---|---|
| Portrait of the Duke of Wellington | |
 | |
| Artist | Thomas Lawrence  |
| Year | c. 1815–1816 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Subject | Duke of Wellington |
| Dimensions | 91.5 cm (36.0 in) × 71 cm (28 in) |
| Location | Apsley House, London |
| Accession no. | WM.1567-1948 |
| Identifiers | Art UK artwork ID: arthur-wellesley-17691852-1st-duke-of-wellington-144237 |
Portrait of the Duke of Wellington is an oil on canvasportrait painting by the English artistThomas Lawrence of the Anglo-Irish soldier and politician theDuke of Wellington. It was createdc. 1815–1816.
It was begun in early 1815 following Wellington's success in thePeninsular War and shortly before his victory overNapoleon at theBattle of Waterloo and the subsequent allied occupation of France under Wellington's command.[1] It is now in the collection ofApsley House, the Duke's London residence.[2] Wellington is shown in military uniform displaying various honours including theOrder of the Garter, theOrder of the Golden Fleece and theOrder of the Bath. He has been described as "impassive and aloof" in the painting.[1] Lawrence's depiction of Wellington was used on the Britishfive pound note between 1971 and 1991.
Lawrence, Britain's premier portrait painter of the era, depicted Wellington a number of times. A further paintingThe Duke on Horseback was commissioned from Lawrence by the BritishSecretary of War,Lord Bathurst, featuring Wellington on his horseCopenhagen, completed in 1818.[3]
Media related toArthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington (Thomas Lawrence - Apsley House) at Wikimedia Commons