William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, Later fourth Duke of Devonshire

William Hogarth, 1697–1764

1741

Oil on canvas

Yale Center for British Art

A man with powdered hair and elaborate gold-trimmed clothing is depicted in an oval portrait against a dark background. William Hogarth’s portraits were admired by the professional class but had little appeal to aristocrats, perhaps because of their unflattering directness and bold handling of paint. This is consequently a very rare portrait of a noble sitter, the eldest son of the Duke of Devonshire and future head of one of Britain’s most powerful families. Among Hogarth’s finest portraits, it demonstrates his extraordinary, and largely self-taught, skill as a painter. It even retains what is probably its original frame, an exceptional example of the French Régence style. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection