Attributed alternatively to Louis Francois Roubiliac and Joseph Wilton.
...................
Anson became the second Englishman after Sir Francis Drake to circumnavigate
the world on a voyage against Spanish interests in the Pacific in 1740
- 44 and in 1743 became a wealthy man as a result of capturing the Spanish
treasure ship 'Nuestra Senora de Covadonga' off the Philippines.
The first stage of their journey around Cape Horn
had been a military disaster with the loss of two ships and over 600 men from
scurvy, cold and privation.
On 20 June 1743 Anson achieved his most notable victory,
intercepting and attacking a Manila galleon, the Nuestra Señora de Covadonga
that was sailing between Acapulco and the Philippines heavily laden with
silver. Anson captured the ship which he later sold to the Dutch, along with
1,313,843 pieces of eight and 35,682 ounces of virgin silver, then valued at
£400,000 his captain's share (37.5%) of the value of her cargo was
probably over £100,000.
The total value of the prize was the equivalent to around £35 million today, of which he was
entitled to a staggering £13,125,000.
Eventually Centurion sailed alone reached Macao in November
1742, making George Anson the first British man-of-war to visit China.
Later in command of the Channel fleet he defeated the French at the first Battle of Finisterre, 1747, after which he was raised to the peerage.
On his return in 1745, Anson was appointed Vice-Admiral of
the White and joined the Whig opposition under the Duke of Bedford, 1st Lord of
the Admiralty and the Earl of Sandwich. Together the three men undertook a
series of reforms of the navy, including ship design and training.
By 1747 he
succeeded as First Lord of the Admiralty. In 1748, he married the Hon.
Elizabeth Yorke, aged 23, the eldest daughter of Philip York, Lord Hardwicke, who was
then Lord Chancellor.
....................
For a very useful history of the buildings and Anson Family at Shugborough see -
https://landedfamilies.blogspot.com/2014/12/149-anson-of-shugborough-hall-ranton.html
........................
The Battle of Finisterre.
Samuel Scott.
YCBA.
https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:1040
..................
Lord Anson relating his victories to George II.
Drawing by Samuel Wale.
British Museum.
The King sits to
left as Anson approaches from right to make his announcements, elaborate
archway behind them with glimpse of grandly arcaded courtyard beyond, possibly
a view of Greenwich Hospital
.........................
An Engraving dated 1748.
From - Voyage autour du monde fait dans les années 1740-44 (Voyage around the world made in the years 1740-44... in the
South Sea). Published by R. Walter. Decorated with maps and intaglio figs. New
edition. Amsterdam and Leipzig, Arkstèe and Merkus, 1749.
................................
He purchased 15 St James Square, London (later Lichfield
House) as a town house in 1748. He bought Orgreave Hall in 1752 and he paid
£14,000 for the Moor Park (Herts) estate the same year and spent a further
£6,000 employing Matthew Brettingham to make alterations to the house, 1752-54
and Capability Brown to lay out the grounds in 1754-59.
"Anson is an unlikely naval hero. Unlike Nelson, he did not
seek out the press or achieve dizzying victories. Instead, Anson’s greatest
battles were fought in the halls of power, both within and outside the navy. He
understood that the Royal Navy was an imperfect instrument in dire need of
reform, but that bureaucratic changes came second to good personnel and talent
management; and that the latter assures the former. By selecting officers and
crown servants based on merit and potential, Anson was able to enact sweeping
reforms in ship design; supply and support; pay and conditions of service;
tactics, techniques and procedures; and education and training.
Every aspect of
naval administration was impacted by Anson, although his guiding hand is easier
to sense than to hold. We regularly hear that people are Defence’s greatest
asset, but few have impacted the daily lived experience as Anson did. He
introduced a standardised uniform, codified punishment and court martial
proceedings, streamlined promotion boards, and professionalised the officer
cadre."
Quoted from - https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/trafalgar-legacy-george-anson
He died 6 June 1762 while walking in the grounds at Moor
Park and was buried at St. Michael and All Angels Church, Colwich, Staffordshire.
The barony became extinct on his death; his
will was proved 16 June 1762.
His wife died 1 June 1760 and was also buried at
Colwich.
....................................
The Marble Bust of George Anson.
This is dangerous territory but I would suggest that the two busts were both carved in about 1750.
an interesting feature here is the embroidery of the coat - this features in several portrait busts given to Henry or John Cheere
Joseph Wilton (1722 - 1803) went to Belgium in 1739 where he
worked in the studio of Laurent Delvaux, and some time after 1744 was
working in Paris in the studio of Jean Baptiste Pigalle and he was in
Italy from 1749 - 55.
Alastair Laing called them British school which I think was a bit of a "cop
out" given that there is a limited number of sculptors working in
England capable of such fine work.
The excellent photographs below provided by Gemma Roberts at Shugborough.
It shows what none of the official photograph have achieved the surface of the flesh which goes a long way to convince of the mastery the brilliance of Roubiliac's ability to sculpt the physiognomy of a middle aged man.
........................
Conway Library Photographs.
...........................
The Bust of George Anson.
Image from Country Life.
..................
The very low resolution images below from the National Trust Website.
A view of the back of the bust (below).
It is smooth unlike the bust of Elizabeth Anson which was finished with a claw chisel (see image below).
......................
The Marble Bust of Elizabeth Anson (1725 - 60).
Lady Elizabth York.
I think that the turned socles are most likely replacements and to my eye the busts sit uncomfortably.
It has been assumed that the bust of Elizabeth Anson and her husband were made as a pair but there are some important differences.
The bust of Elizabeth Anson has a fillet between it and the socle. The back is finished with a claw chisel unlike the bust of George Anson which has a smooth back.
The two images below from the Conway Library at the Courtauld Institute.
......................
The National Trust Website Images.
..................
The back of the bust of Elizabeth Anson has been finished with a claw chisel.
.....................
The Engraved and Painted Portraits of George Anson.
The intention here is to provide some sort of comparison between the two dimensional representations of Anson and the marble bust at Shugborough.
..................
George Anson.
Engraving.
Charles Mosely.
1740
Image courtesy National Galleries of Scotland.
............................
George Anson.
Engraved by Charles Grignion.
after the original by Arthur Pond.
Dated 1744.
This version from the British museum - there is another at the NPG.
.....................
Anson.
After Arthur Pond.
From the Universal Magazine.
1748.
Image from the excellent National Galleries of Scotland.
................
George Anson.
Johnson?
Printed and sold by M. Overton at the Golden Buck, Fleet
Street, London.
1747.
The plate is after Faber junior's engraving after Alan Ramsay of Admiral the Hon.
Charles Stewart (1681-1741).
British Museum.
......................
George Anson
Mezzotint
1747.
'Lord Anson, Baron of Soberton in the County of Southampton
/ Vice Admiral of the Blue. // G. Bockman delineavit & fecit, 1747. // Sold
by H Overton without Newgate London.'
Image Courtesy British Museum.
......................
George Anson.
Undated anonymous engraving.
This portrait is related to the engraved mezzotint immediately below.
Presumably mid 18th Century.
Image courtesy National Galleries of Scotland
.....................
George Anson.
Here the wig is most similar to that worn on the bust.
Anon.
Mezzotint.
Image Courtesy British Museum.
................
The Anonymous Portrait of George Anson at the National Maritime Museum.
see -
...................
George II and his Officials.
Engraving.
Thomas Jeffreys (c 1719 - 71)
After 1746.
Anson after Pond.
NPG.
.......................
George Anson
Engraving by Jacobus Houbraken.
after J. Wandelaar.
line engraving.
1751.
NPG
...................
This version engraved by Houbraken.
after Wandelaar ad vivum
Pub. Fouquet, Amsterdam.
..........................
George Anson.
Anonymous (Houbraaken?) portrait engraving.
Based on the Wandalaar Portrait
National Maritime museum
......................
George Anson.
Engraved by and sold by James Macardell (c.1728 - 65).
after Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723 - 92).
Mezzotint.
Published 1755.
......................
George Anson.
Francis Coates (1726 - 1770).
Pastel.
c. 1750.
Shugborough.
George Anson.
Joshua Reynolds.
Sittings recorded for February 21st and 25th 1755.
Shugborough.
National Trust.
https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1271068
...........................
George Anson.
Studio of Joshua Reynolds.
This picture is one of a group left to Greenwich Hospital by
Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser, Governor of Greenwich Hospital, in 1796.
National Maritime Museum.
They say -
A three-quarter-length portrait to the right showing Anson
in flag officer’s full dress uniform, 1748–67,
In the right background are the yachts of the squadron he commanded which brought Princess Charlotte to Britain in 1761?
In the right background are the yachts of the squadron he
commanded which brought Princess Charlotte to Britain in 1761.
.......................
Anson
Copy of a Portrait at Shugborough by William Hoare
in the Royal Collection.
A low resolution image of the Shugborough portrait is available here -
https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/admiral-sir-george-anson-16971762-baron-anson-of-soberton-132286
............................
George Anson.
Copy of a relief after James Tassie (1735 - 99).
Plaster Relief of 1894.
Image copyright National Galleries of Scotland.
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/1742?search=Anson&search_set_offset=5
................................
Portrait Traditionally Identified as Admiral George Anson.
Thomas Hudson (1701 - 79).
There appears to be some doubt as to whether it represents Anson or is by Hudson!
National Maritime Museum. Royal Museums Greenwich.
They suggest prior to 1748.
For another portrait at the National Maritime Museum see -
.......................
George Anson.
Gold Medallion.
1747.
Thomas Pingo (1692 - 1776).
It is not clear how he obtained the image - possibly ad vivum from a sitting or perhaps from a wax.
Medal commemorating the Defeat of the French fleet off Cape
Finisterre and Admiral Anson's voyage around the world. 1747.
4.3 cm (diameter).
Obverse: Bust of Admiral Anson left being crowned by Victory
standing on the prow of a galley. GEORGE LORD ANSON Below: VICT. MAY III
MDCCXLVII
Image below courtesy British Museum.
This image below from the Royal Collection.
.......................
The Painted Portraits of Elizabeth Anson (1725 - 60).
Elizabeth Yorke Lady Anson.
The Two Shugborough Portraits and another at Wimpole Hall, Cambridge.
I include this portrait below for reference - I am very doubtful - stylistically it is much earlier than the 1740's and is very unlikely to represent Elizabeth Anson.
The National Trust website leaving their options open states -
Style of Sir Godfrey Kneller (Lübeck 1646 - London 1723). John Vanderbank the younger (London 1694 - London 1739). attributed to Michael Dahl (Stockholm 1659 - London 1743). Who writes this stuff?
...........................
Probably Lady Elizabeth Yorke, Lady Anson.
Thomas Hudson (Devonshire 1701 – Twickenham 1779).
Portrait at Wimpole Hall.
For more portraits by Hudson see -
https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/search/actor:hudson-thomas-17011779
The clothing possibly painted by Alexander van Aken the Drapery painter who assisted Thomas Hudson after the death of his brother, Joseph van Aken, in 1749.
Text below from the National Trust website.
"The sitter is probably the writer and political manager,
Lady Elizabeth Yorke, Lady Anson. Elizabeth was the eldest daughter of Philip
Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, and his wife Margaret Cocks.
She lived at Wimpole
Hall until her marriage in 1748 to Admiral George Anson of Shugborough.
Elizabeth was strongly involved in the design of the gardens at Shugborough.
This picture may be the only extant oil portrait by Hudson in the pastoral
style (two others are known from engravings only)".
https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/207889
...........................
Elizabeth Anson.
Studio of Thomas Hudson (1701 - 79).
She holds a drawing of Dante by (possibly) Carlo Dolci.
Very low resolution image and text below from the National Trust website.
"The drawing of Dante is the one in red & black chalk,
bearing the marks of Jonathan Richardson the Elder (Lugt 2184; cf. the drawing
of Et in Arcadia Ego ascribed to Poussin, in Lord Lichfield’s collection, shown
in the prime version of the present portrait) and Thomas Hudson (Lugt 2432),
that is now in the Fitzwilliam Museum. Ascribed to Giulio Clovio when acquired,
but later (along with the related painting in the Kress Collection in the NGA
in Washington) to Battista Naldini by Federico Zeri, it is currently attributed
to Carlo Dolci (by David Scrase). The original ascription to Giulio Clovio is
interesting, because, in an ode subsequently published in The Gentleman’s
Magazine (vol.XL, 1970, p.38), entitled ‘Ode to the Hon. Miss Yorke (afterwards
Lady Anson), on her copying a Portrait of Dante by Clovio. By her Brother, the
(late) Hon. Charles Yorke, Esq.’ Lady Anson’s brother (who had just died)
appears to have been celebrating a painted copy by his sister of a painted
original by Clovio".
........................
Peter Scheemakers and the Ansons at Shugborough.
Hadrian's Arch, c. 1765.
These images are currently the best I can find of the busts on the version of Hadrian's Arch at Shugborough.
Designed by James "Athenian" Stuart after the original at Athens.
In 1760, Thomas Anson suffered a great loss, with the death
of his close friend and sister-in-law, Elizabeth York, and again in 1762, with
the death of his brother George.
Thomas memorialised them both by adding their
busts in the outer arches. In the central arch, Thomas added an ‘aplustre’, a
commemorative plaque. It depicts naval trophies and other attributes linked to
his brother’s illustrious life.
................
Stuart, James. 1762. The antiquities of Athens, v. 4, London
: Printed by J. Haberkorn.
Excellent high resolution Image below from The Smithsonian Libraries.
............................
The Shepherdess's Tomb.
With a relief by Peter Scheemakers after a painting Et in Arcadia Ego by Poussin.
This peculiar folly has been the subject of much speculation, which I will not comment on here but will refer the reader to an excellent article in the Georgian Group Journal by James Stevens Curl.
The surround is taken from a design by Thomas Wright (1711 - 86) with additions perhaps designed by James Athenian Stuart.
Below is a link to the Georgian Group Journal article by James Stevens Curl.
The monument, commissioned by Thomas Anson, was built
sometime between 1748 and 1756. The outer form of the monument is a portico
featuring two doric columns. These support an entablature decorated by a frieze
comprising three metopes depicting laurel wreaths, and two containing carvings
of stone heads. One head shows a smiling bald-headed man; the other bears a
likeness to the goat-horned Greek god Pan. The entablature is topped with an
antefix using an anthemion design.
Inside the portico is a rusticated arch, which frames a
relief carved by sculptor Peter Scheemakers. The relief is a
copy of the Poussin painting Et in arcadia ego and shows a woman and three men,
two of whom are pointing to a tomb.
After an engraving of a painting known as 'Les Bergers d'Arcadie' or 'Et in
Arcadia ego', executed c.1638/40, acquired by Louis XIV in 1685 and now in the
Musée du Louvre, Paris.
On the tomb is carved the Latin text Et in
arcadia ego ("I am also in Arcadia" or "I am, even in
Arcadia").
The carving displays a number of small alterations from the
original painting, including the addition of an extra sarcophagus placed on top
of the main tomb.
Below the relief is a stone plaque displaying a ten-letter
inscription. The inscription is broken into two lines. There are eight letters
on the first line, and two below on the second line, placed at either end of
the letters on the first line. The letters on the second line, D M, were
commonly used on Roman tombs to stand for Dis Manibus, meaning "dedicated
to the shades".
Image below from the Conway Library, Courtauld Gallery.
Image below showing the hands of the Shepherds appearing to merge into the inscription.
A Reminder of Death in the Middle of the Prosperity of Life.
Engraving after Poussin by Bernard Picart (1673 - 1733).
Rue St Jacques, au Buste de Monseigneur, Paris
Image below from the British Museum.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1874-0808-1822
For the Original painting in the Louvre see -
https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010062528
...................
Thomas Anson (c. 1695 – 30 March 1773).
The Library at Shugborough.
Images from Country Life Magazine. 25 February 1954.


Thomas Anson, FRS the older brother of George Anson was a British
Member of Parliament, traveller and amateur architect.
The Anson brothers were the sons of William Anson (1656–1720) and Isabella
Carrier, who was sister-in-law to Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield.
The family
estate was Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire.
Admiral George Anson, 1st Baron
Anson was his younger brother and along with their cousin, George Parker, 2nd
Earl of Macclesfield, they were taught mathematics and navigation by Isaac
Newton's friend, the mathematician William Jones, who was later to propose
Anson's membership for the Royal Society in 1730. Anson went up to St John's
College, Oxford, and later studied law at the Inner Temple.
Upon his father's death, Anson abandoned law and began the
first of many travels to the continent. In 1732 Anson and his friend the Earl
of Sandwich formed a riotous dining-club called the Society of the Dilettanti,
which also had the more serious purpose of encouraging study of Greek
architecture. In 1740 Thomas briefly joined his brother George on The
Centurion, as he and his crew began their circumnavigation of the globe. Anson
left them in order to travel to Egypt. This qualified him for the Egyptian Society
and the Divan Society, the latter being a wild drinking-club of which Lord
Dashwood and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu were avid members.
He was elected to the House of Commons for Lichfield in
1747, a seat he held until 1770.
In 1748 Anson was sent to Versailles by Lord Sandwich with
secret correspondence for the Duc de Choiseul and Madame de Pompadour.
In 1762 he succeeded to the vast fortune of Spanish treasure
amassed by his brother.
This enabled him to further indulge his passion
for architecture at Shugborough.
Anson died unmarried in March 1773.
The Anson
estates were passed on to his nephew, George Adams, who assumed the surname of
Anson and was ancestor of the Earls of Lichfield.