English School, early 19th century Portrait of Sir Arthur Paget...

The Property of the Marquess of Anglesey from the Private Apartment at Plas Newydd

English School, early 19th century
Portrait of Sir Arthur Paget (1771–1840)

oil on canvas laid on board
unframed: 17.7 x 14.2 cm.; 7 x 5⅝ in.
framed: 26.5 x 22.7 cm.; 10⅜ x 9 in.

Condition Report:
Removal of the protective backing board reveals that the canvas has been stuck down onto another board, though it has become loose in some parts. The paint surface is dirty and the varnish is slightly cloudy and uneven in places. No losses to the paint surface are visible to the naked eye, nor spots of retouching. Inspection under ultraviolet light confirms much of the above: the varnish is milky, perhaps impeding inspection of older campaigns of retouching. Some spots do fluoresce, though, along the lower margin, on the sitter's jacket, and on his collar. Overall, the painting is in good condition.

Catalogue Note:
Sir Arthur Paget was the third son of Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge (1744–1812) and his wife Jane Champagné (1742–1817), daughter of Arthur Champagné (c. 1714–c. 1800), Dean of Clonmacnoise in Ireland. Arthur was said to have been the most brilliant of his six brothers and was 'fond of being Captain-General wherever [he was]'.1 Bound for diplomacy, he was given employment in Joseph Ewart’s (1759–1792) mission at Berlin in 1791. Owing to the death of his elder brother William (1769–1794), however, there was a vacancy in the family seat for Anglesey, so Arthur was elected for the position in 1794. He nominally represented this seat for 13 years, though usually from abroad.

In 1794, Arthur was sent as Envoy-extraordinary to Berlin to remind King Frederick William II (1744–1797) of his obligations to Holland. His conduct and tact on this delicate mission was commended by Lord Malmesbury (1746–1820). His next appointment was as Envoy Extraordinary to the Elector Palatine and the Perpetual Diet at Regensburg in 1798, followed by Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, first at Naples in 1800 and then at Vienna the following year. He remained in Vienna until 1806, being nicknamed 'The Emperor' on account of his extravagance.

After his return from Austria in February 1806, Arthur was sent to the Ottoman Porte in 1807, where he told the Sultan of a secret clause in the Treaty of Tilsit by which the provisions in favour of Turkey were rendered nugatory. Ultimately, however, Arthur was unable to achieve his aim of detaching the Ottoman Empire from its French Alliance. He was recalled in May 1809 and awarded a pension of £2,000.

Arthur's personal life was likewise colourful: on 18 May 1808, he eloped with Lady Augusta Fane (1786–1871), then the wife of Lord Boringdon (1772–1840), and married her the following year, as soon as her divorce took place. They had several children, including Sir Augustus Berkeley Paget (1823–1896), who followed his father into diplomacy.

1 Lord Hylton (ed.), The Paget Brothers, 1790–1840, London 1918, p. 2.