Sir Wyndham Knatchbull-Wyndham (1737–1763)

For his grand-tour portraits, Batoni followed the formula that Van Dyck established to depict noblemen, while incorporating the subjects into an ancient ensemble. Wyndham Knachtbull-Wyndham, depicted here, completed his Grand Tour from 1757–1760. Batoni shows the then twenty-two year old in a pose reminiscent of one of the most famous ancient Roman sculptures, the Apollo Belvedere. The portrait, which Winckelmann deemed to be one of the best in the world, solidified Batoni’s reputation as a painter of grand-tour portraits. (See Bowron, Edgar Peters / Kerber, Peter Björn: Pompeo Batoni: Prince of Painters in Eighteenth-Century Rome, New Haven 2007, pp. 60ff).

Pompeo Batoni (1708–1787), portrait of Sir Wyndham Knatchbull-Wyndham (1737–1763), oil on canvas, 233 x 161 cm, 1758/1759, source: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, https://collections.lacma.org/node/176143.