William Robinson, later Sir William Robinson, Knt.

Maker Godfrey Kneller (British, 1646 - 1723)

SitterSitter: William Robinson, later Sir William Robinson Knt. (British, 1643 - 1712)

Collections

ClassificationsPAINTINGS

Date1693

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensions50 x 40 3/8 in. (127 x 102.6 cm.) frame: 59 3/4 × 49 3/4 × 3 1/2 in. (151.8 × 126.4 × 8.9 cm.)

DescriptionStanding half-length, three-quarters left, his left elbow on a rock. The hand holding a sheet of paper, on which is a drawn figure of an oval within a parallelogram. His right hand, at hip level, points to the left. He wears a long peruke, a cravat with loose ends, and a wine-brown cloack. A rock, with sprays of foliage, behind him. A view of water and shipping in left background.

SignedSignature; Date G.K. 1693

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gift of Beatrix Farrand

Label TextSir William Robinson served as Surveyor-General of Ireland in the late 17th century. Kneller created a majestic presentation, calculated to impress, with Robinson looming large before a stormy sky. With a cascade of lustrous drapery spilling over his left shoulder and arm, he unfurls a drawing of an oval inscribed within a rectangle, a geometric design that refers to his engineering work and public office.

Status

On view

Object number34.2