Benjamin West PRA, Self-portrait of Benjamin West, P.R.A.

Self-portrait of Benjamin West, P.R.A., 1793

Benjamin West PRA (1738 - 1820)

RA Collection: Art

On free display in Collection Gallery

West painted this portrait in 1793 a year after his election as President of the Royal Academy. A painter of historical and religious subjects, West alluded to his artistic and intellectual influences by including a cast of the Belvedere Torso and volumes on Greek and English history in the composition. He has shown himself seated on the President's throne and Somerset House, home of the Royal Academy from 1780 to 1837, is shown in the background, as though West is a nobleman before his stately home.

Object details

Title
Self-portrait of Benjamin West, P.R.A.
Artist/designer
Benjamin West PRA (1738 - 1820)
Date
1793
Object type
Painting
Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions

1015 mm x 1320 mm

Collection
Royal Academy of Arts
Object number
03/285
Acquisition
Given by Joseph Neeld MP 1830

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