Poppy Harvey-Jones
Head of Sale
Lot 7
Attributed to Sir William Beechey R.A(Burford 1753-1839 London)Portrait of Warren Hastings, half-length, in a blue coat
7 July 2021, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £17,125 inc. premium
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Attributed to Sir William Beechey R.A (Burford 1753-1839 London)
Portrait of Warren Hastings, half-length, in a blue coat
oil on canvas
76.2 x 63.5cm (30 x 25in).
oil on canvas
76.2 x 63.5cm (30 x 25in).
Footnotes
Warren Hastings was the first and most famous of the British Governor Generals of India. He dominated Indian affairs from 1772 to 1785 and, on his return to England, was impeached and finally acquitted on all counts following a sensational and historic 7-year trial. Judging from the sitter's age the present portrait would appear to date from sometime shortly after he returned from India in 1785 and is earlier than those portraits with which Hastings was known to have rewarded his loyal allies and supporters as gifts following the trial. The trial became a debate between two radically opposed visions of empire – one based on ideas of power and conquest in pursuit of the exclusive national interests of the colonizer, versus one represented by Burke, of sovereignty based on a recognition of the rights of the colonized. While Hastings was able to institute significant reforms as an administrator, his legacy as the "architect of British India" remains inevitably controversial.
We are grateful to Charles Greig for his assistance with the cataloguing for this lot.