Portrait George III., King of Great Britain (1738-1820)

Portrait of George III., King of Great Britain. On this sheet the young face of the nobleman before his coronation is depicted as a bust in profile to the left. He apparently wears a long wig, which he tied in the neck to the braid. A laurel wreath crowns his head. He continues to wear armor with robe underneath and a sash. The effigy is round, modeled on a medal and surrounded by black background, which is rather atypical for most scrapbooks. George III was king of Britain and Ireland from 1760 to 1801, then king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. He came from the house of Hanover, but is the first of his tribe born in Britain. Even after Händel’s death, he preferred his music to the living English composer and even asked Mozart Händelsche to play his works. As mentioned, the leaf was made here as a scrapie by the Irish painter and Mezzotinto-stecher Richard Houston (1721-1775). The paper shows the coronation medal as a template. The British Museum in London, which also owns a specimen of the leaf, gives a medal that shows Georg enthroned, as here, with an inscription that reads: "Patriae. Ovanti. Coronat. XVII Sept. MDCCLXI’. The paper was published by three dealers: Henry Parker (ca. 1725? -1809) and Elizabeth Bakewell is a collaboration for the years 1759 and 1762, the third publisher is Robert Sayer (1725-1794). Signature: Done after the Coronation Medal. Rich. Houston fecit. Printed for Hen: Parker & Eliz: Bakewell in Cornhill, & Robt. Sayer in Fleet Street price 1.6d. Caption: GEORGE III King of Great Britain, & c.& c. [Medal] GEORGIVS.III.D.G.M.BRI.FRA.ET.HIB.REX.F.D. Watermark: present, in the middle motif: letters, difficult to read. (delHändel-Haus Halle Foundation)