This mid-18th-century English oil painting depicts Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington (1673/1674-1743), wearing the red sash and star of the Order of the Bath. Compton was the son of James Compton, 3rd Earl of Northampton, and his second wife Mary.
Following his studies at St Paul’s School, the Middle Temple and Trinity College, Oxford, Compton turned to politics and held several parliamentary roles. In 1715, he was appointed as speaker of the House of Commons, a position he held for 12 years, before progressing to lord president of the Council and, for a short time, prime minister. He represented Eye in Suffolk as an MP.
It’s fair to say that his career advancements were predominantly the result of his close ties with influential figures rather than his skill as an orator. It’s said that he had a keen interest in parliamentary processes.
As an associate of the infamous ‘Kit-cat Club’, an influential group of Whigs who met at the Trumpet Tavern in London, he sat for Sir Godfrey Kneller’s ‘Kit-cat’ portrait, which is currently housed in the National Portrait Gallery.
Several portraits of Spencer Compton have been attributed to the circle of Kneller since that date, including a three quarter length piece, which is currently in the UK Parliament’s Heritage Collection.
It bears many similarities to our own and it’s plausible that ours is a copy done shortly after. Compton was awarded the Order of the Bath two years after Kneller died, but the piece at Parliament could’ve been produced by an artist who trained in his workshop. There’s a further version, depicting him wearing a blue sash and the Order of the Garter at Raynham Hall in Norfolk.
In 1915, this bust-length piece was sold via the Jeffrey Whitehead Sale at Christie's in London as one of four ‘portraits of gentlemen’. Whitehead was a prominent collector and it’s conceivable that it originally formed part of a set of early English prime ministers.
Held within a later gilt frame.
Medium: Oil on panel
Overall size: 8½” x 10½” / 21cm x 27cm
Year of creation: c. 1760
Labels & Inscriptions: Christie’s stencil / Christie’s catalogue entry.
Provenance: Jeffrey Whitehead, Esq., The Mayes, East Grinstead / The Jeffrey Whitehead Sale, Christie's, London, 6 August 1915, lot 61 / Private collection, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Areas of fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear (designed with distressed appearance).
Our reference: BRV1984
