Lord Chatham. BARTOLOZZI (Francesco).

…is represented holding the Cap of Liberty and leaning on a Rudder, the Emblem of his Office of Prime Minister. After John Bacon.

Engraving. [437 x 286]. Full length portrait of Lord Chatham, dressed in classical clothing, standing on a pedestal within an arch, surrounded by three female figures, four children and a lion. Various objects are scattered around the scene. Explanatory text is located on the pedestal below. (Very good condition). [ebc8167].

Published as the Act directs, 12th November, 1779.

William Pitt the Elder, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708-1778) was a Whig politician who served as Prime Minister from 1766 to 1768. The engraving by Bartolozzi is based on a monument to Lord Chatham by the sculptor John Bacon located in the Guildhall in London. The three females depicted are representations of Britannia, Commerce and the City, while the four children represent the 'quarters of the globe'. In the pedestal at the bottom it states that the leading ideas behind the design are of "Lord Chatham's care of the liberty of his country, his attention to the commercial interests of these Kingdoms and the effect his administration had on the affluence and happiness of the nation".

A copy can be located in the Birtish Museum (museum number: 1917,1208.938).