Nicholas Farrer (Sunderland 1750-1805)
Nicholas Farrer (Sunderland 1750-1805)

Portrait of Admiral of the Fleet the Hon. John Forbes (1714-1796), three-quarter length, in naval uniform, shipping beyond

Details
Nicholas Farrer (Sunderland 1750-1805)
Portrait of Admiral of the Fleet the Hon. John Forbes (1714-1796), three-quarter length, in naval uniform, shipping beyond
signed and dated 'NFarrer Pinx 1784' (lower left)
oil on canvas
50 x 40 in. (127 x 101.5 cm.)
inscribed with a biography of the sitter
Provenance
Lady Emily Wellesley-Pole, wife of Lord FitzRoy Somerset (d. 1881; mentioned in her will dated 29 February 1868), and by descent.
Literature
J. Steegman, Portraits in Welsh Houses, Cardiff, 1962, vol. II, p. 126, no. 1.

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Katharine Cooke
Katharine Cooke

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Lot Essay

The Hon. John Forbes was born in Minorca, to George Forbes, 3rd Earl of Granard. He married Lady Mary Capell (1722-1782), daughter of the 3rd Earl of Essex, in 1758. He served as a naval commander during the War of the Austrian Succession; was promoted to Rear-Admiral of the Blue in 1747; Vice-Admiral in 1755; and Admiral of the White in 1770. During later life, Forbes was twice elected to the Irish parliament. He died on 10 March 1796 and was buried next to his wife in the Essex family vault. He had twin daughters, one of whom, Katherine, married William Wellesley-Pole, Baron Maryborough, and later 3rd Earl of Mornington, and was mother of Lady Emily Wellesley-Pole, later Lady FitzRoy Somerset. A related bust-length composition of 1778 by George Romney is in the National Maritime Museum, London.

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