Anthony Lee
, Irish, fl.1724-1767
Title
Portrait of Joseph Leeson, later 1st Earl of Milltown (1711-1783)Date1735
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
197 x 122 cm
Signedlower left: A Lee pinx / 1735
Credit LineMilltown Gift, 1902
Object numberNGI.698
DescriptionJoseph Leeson was a member of a prosperous and well-established family of brewers in Dublin, who had invested considerable energies in elevating their status within Irish society. When his father died in 1741, Joseph inherited a handsome estate of £50,000 and was guaranteed a stipend of £6,000 per annum. With this vast windfall he acquired extensive lands in County Wicklow, on which he built an imposing mansion. Russborough House remains one of Ireland's most celebrated country houses. Leeson's next step in his ascent through the social ranks was to secure a seat in the House of Commons, which he managed in 1743, when he was elected MP for Rathcormack, County Cork. His and his immediate ancestors' ambitions culminated in his becoming Baron of Russborough in 1756, Viscount Russborough in 1760 and finally Earl of Milltown in 1763.
When Lee painted this portrait, considered one of his finest works, Leeson was in his mid-twenties. The painting hung in the entrance hall of Russborough House. The Palladian architectural setting of the portrait pre-empts the grandeur and monumentality of Russborough, begun just a few years later.
ProvenanceMilltown Gift, 1902 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
The Milltowns, a family reunion, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 22 October - 15 December 1997
Label TextJoseph Leeson was a member of a prosperous family of Dublin brewers. In 1741, with a vast inheritance of £50,000 and the promise of a stipend of £6,000 per year, he acquired extensive lands in Co. Wicklow. There he built Russborough House, one of Ireland's most celebrated country houses. When Lee painted this portrait, considered one of his finest works, Leeson was in his mid-twenties. The Palladian architectural setting of the portrait pre-empts the grandeur and monumentality of Russborough, begun just a few years later.