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Look past the king’s armor and fur-lined robe to the warships at sea in the distance at the right.
George III ordered more than 80 paintings from West. This portrait shows him in armor to celebrate his military leadership, probably to restore his reputation after he had been forced, the year before, to recognize American independence. West, born in Pennsylvania, kept the king’s confidence throughout the American Revolution.
oil on canvas · Framed: 152 x 127 x 9.5 cm · Cleveland Museum of Art · Neoclassicism
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Details and source
- Museum title
- George III
- Artist
- Benjamin West (American, born The Thirteen Colonies, 1738–1820)
- Date
- 1783
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 152 x 127 x 9.5 cm (59 13/16 x 50 x 3 3/4 in.); Unframed: 126.5 x 101 cm (49 13/16 x 39 3/4 in.)
- Credit line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence S. Robbins
- Image license
- CC0 1.0 · Public domain
- Museum record
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Galler’s rooms and hanging scale are imagined. The image is the museum’s original digital reproduction.