Title
Portrait of a Man Wearing a MedallionDate1807
MediumMarble
Dimensions
59.5 x 31.5 x 22 cm
SignedL. GAHAGAN/FECIT. JUNE 1st/MDCCCVII
Credit LinePurchased, 1968
Object numberNGI.8058
Inscriptionon medallion: THE/TRIUMPH/OF/TRUTHProvenancePurchased, Heim Gallery, London, 1968 Exhibition HistoryIrish Portraits 1660-1860, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 14 August - 14 October 1969; National Portrait Gallery, London, 30 October 1969 - 4 January 1970; Ulster Museum, Belfast, 28 January - 9 March 1970
Label TextAlthough his features are distinctive, the man portrayed in this bust remains anonymous. The medallion he wears, inscribed ‘The Triumph of Truth’, may identify him as the English sportsman Thomas Thornton (1757-1823), who is known to have worn a medallion of this kind. Alternatively, the sitter may be Dr William Hawes (1736-1808), founder of the Royal Humane Society. The sculptor was born Laurence Geoghegan, but changed his name to Gahagan when he moved to London.