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Sir Sampson Gideon and an unidentified companion
1767
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Everard Studley Miller Bequest, 1963
- Gallery location
- 17th to 18th Century European Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
This painting is a document of the Grand Tour (the traditional visit to Europe undertaken by Britain’s upper classes), and is one of Pompeo Batoni’s finest portraits of an English visitor to Rome. The seated figure is Sir Sampson Gideon (1745–1824), the son of a wealthy financier of Portuguese origin. Although Sir Sampson visited Rome in 1766, the evidence suggests that this picture, dated 1767, was completed after his return to England. He is depicted showing a portrait miniature to his companion. It can be presumed that the miniature represents Sir Sampson’s wife, Maria, whom he married in December 1766.
Artwork Details
inscribed in brown paint (diagonally) c.r.: To / Sr (r underlined) Sampson Gideon Bart / Roma
Everard Studley Miller Bequest, 1963
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited
Level 2, NGV International