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, Irish, 1740-1808
Title
Portrait of Arthur Wolfe, later 1st Viscount Kilwarden, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland (1739-1803)
Date1795
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
70 x 56 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 1906
Object numberNGI.578
DescriptionIn 1795, around the time this portrait was painted, Arthur Wolfe (1739-1803), was Attorney-General and a member of the Irish Privy Council. He would later become Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Despite this, Hamilton's depiction of this prominent statesman is one of striking informality; its pared-down aesthetic borrowed from his pastel work. It was not exhibited in public until after Wolfe's murder during the Emmet rebellion of 1803, when it was greeted with eulogistic praise.