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Benjamin West
1738-1820
Allegory of Britannia. Verso: Sketch for the same composition
Pen and brown ink on paper.
5 5/8 x 5 5/8 inches (144 x 143 mm)
Purchased as the gift of Mrs. Robert H. Charles.
1970.11:177
Notes:
The drawing shows the principle figure of Britannia flanked by Religion and Justice, with Christ appearing in the clouds above. The sketch on the verso may be connected to West's 1812 portrait of John Eardley Wilmot, the Commissioner appointed to adjust the claims of the Loyalists. In the background of the portrait, hanging on the wall, is an allegorical picture of Britannia as protectress of the Loyalists.
Provenance:
Estate of the artist; by descent; Harry Margary, the great-grandson of Maria West (daughter of Raphael Lamar West, and granddaughter of Benjamin West); Thos. Agnew and Sons, Ltd., London; from whom purchased 60 drawings, 17 June 1964, and 197 drawings, 15 February 1965, by M. Knoedler and Co., Inc.; from whom purchased 257 drawings by the Morgan Library in 1970.
Associated names:
Margary, Harry, former owner.
Charles, Robert H., Mrs., donor.
Bibliography:
Kraemer, Ruth S. Drawings by Benjamin West and His Son, Raphael Lamar West. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1975, no. 93, repr.
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