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Summary
Thomas Lawrence: Lord Amherst
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| Artist |
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| Title |
Lord Amherst |
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| Object type | painting | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Description |
English: In 1816 Baron William Pitt Amherst (1773–1857) led a diplomatic mission to China to negotiate better trading terms for the British East India Company. This grand portrait by Thomas Lawrence, the leading English portraitist of the day, shows Amherst standing before the Canton harbor and the trading warehouses of Britain, the Netherlands, and the United States. The book near his hand is the 1817 publication of the journal of his diplomatic journey.
Amherst’s mission was a failure. He signaled that he would refuse to kowtow (kòu tóu)—the traditional act of reverence before the Chinese emperor, which involved kneeling and bowing low to the ground—unless the Chinese officials would show similar deference to a portrait of the British king. Affronted, Emperor Jiaqing sent Amherst and his embassy home without meeting with them. Back at home Amherst was admired for his actions, which were seen as upholding British honor. This portrait, in fact, was commissioned to hang in the British East India Company’s office in Canton. The full-length format, imposing column, and Amherst’s determined expression and official ambassadorial robes all express solemn ceremony, resolve, and dignity. |
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| Depicted people |
William Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst  |
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| Date | 1821 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Medium | oil on canvas oil on canvas | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dimensions | height: 2,360 mm (92.91 in); width: 1,460 mm (57.48 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Collection |
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| Accession number |
1964.32 |
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| Place of creation |
England |
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| Notes | More info at museum site | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| References | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source/Photographer | 7gGJvGfgWqrGNQ at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level | |||||||||||||||||||||||
_by_Sir_Thomas_Lawrence,_PRA.jpg)
Licensing
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This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason:
The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain".
This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain in the United States. In other jurisdictions, re-use of this content may be restricted; see Reuse of PD-Art photographs for details. | ||||
File history
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| Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
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| current | 00:13, 9 October 2012 | | 2,541 × 4,219 (1.53 MB) | DcoetzeeBot | =={{int:filedesc}}== {{Google Art Project |commons_artist={{Creator:Thomas Lawrence}} |commons_title= |commons_description= |commons_date= |commons_medium= |commons_dimensions= |commons_institution= |commons_location= |commons_references= |commons_obje... |
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