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Portrait of William Etty, RA HRSA

Artist: Nicholson, William, RSA · 1781-1844

possibly painted in Edinburgh in the autumn of 1832 when Etty travelled to Edinburgh to deliver the last of his Judith series paintings to the Scottish Academy, of which Nicholson was then Secretary and as a great supporter of Etty had been instrumental in helping secure the purchase of his works by the Academy.

Vide National Galleries of Scotland PG1236 which purports to be another version by Nicholson of the present study, and which was purchased by the NGS in 1934. The NGS version is smaller (27.7 x 23.0cm) and more faded than the Academy's version. Moreover, there seems to be a difference in handling, aspects of the folds and creases in Etty's jacket for example appearing more rudimentary in how they have been painted in the NGS version, which could indicate that that version is perhaps a copy. perhaps by a student, after the Academy's version, which does have a direct provenance back to Nicholson.

Following e-mail communication between Robin H Rodger, RSA Documentation Officer and Lucinda Lax, Curator of British Art, SNPG, and a close comparison of the two by Lucinda Lax, the record for the NPG version was amended to read ‘By or after William Nicholson’ (see Documentation (Free) field for copy of the e-mail exchange)