Robert Walpole was portrayed with specific heraldic symbols denoting royal favor.
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AS REPORTEDno primary record reached; this is what the reporting says
Historical art records indicate that Robert Walpole was indeed depicted in portraits wearing insignia such as the garter ribbon and star, and accompanied by royal symbols like a crown.
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (1676-1745) Prime Minister - Government Art Collection
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# Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford (1676-1745) Prime Minister
Jean Baptiste van, (Studio) Loo
Oil on canvas (feigned oval)
1740s
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About the work
Location Country: UK City: London Place: Downing Street
Prime Minister Robert Walpole wears a long grey wig, the black and gold robes of the Chancellor and the garter ribbon and star, indicating his membership of the Order of the Bath. This half-length portrait is derived from a full-length original, painted in 1740, which formerly belonged to Walpole and is now in the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Among the many other versions in existence are two in the Government Art Collection. It is one of several similar portraits of Walpole from the studio of Jean Baptiste van Lo
# Why did Robert Walpole get painted with a crown on his right side?
Tags: art, 17th-century, great-britain
- Score: 12
- Views: 2778
- Answers: 1
- Answered: yes
- Asked by: Tom Sol (2267 rep)
- Asked: 2020-09-14
- Edited: 2020-09-15
- Site: history
## Question
In this painting of Robert Walpole by John Theodore Heins Robert is painted with a crown on his right. Robert Walpole is according to Wikipedia "a British politician who is generally regarded as the de facto first Prime Minister of Great Britain".
pictured above : Portrait of Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745) Earl of Orford, painted by John Theodore Heins (1697-1756) followed by a close-up of the crown. attributed to Norwich Castle / Public domain
When looking at a portrait of him I noticed a crown on his right which looked odd to me since Walpole certainly wasn't royalty and the way this portrait is painted reminded me of royal portraits, like for example the portraits of his contemporaries George I and George II which use many of the same elements:
George I and George II both monarchs during Walpole's time as Prime Minister displayed in a similar way. George I - Studio of Godfrey Kneller / Public domain. George II -
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