Alexander Baring, 1st Lord Ashburton by Sir Thomas Lawrence

Large Study of Alexander Baring, 1st Lord Ashburton circa 1810 by Sir Thomas Lawrence, oil on canvas, 50" x 40"

With the assistance of Paula Togher and her associates at the Baring Archive in London, I was able to view, photograph details and compare the finished portrait of Lord Ashburton by Sir Thomas Lawrence to the full size study. I immediately recognized the canvas as being the same twill herringbone as was used for the study; quite possibly taken from the same roll of canvas, as evidenced in the weave near the tacking edge at the top of the canvas. While in the UK I visited a number of museums including the Tate and the National Portrait Gallery. Nearly all of the portraits by Lawrence I viewed were painted on a similar twill canvas and stretched so that distinct diagonal weave patterns were observable from the bottom right to the top left. The exception were a few smaller scale oils and one large portrait that was painted on the same twill herringbone but stretched so that the diagonal weave lines were from the bottom left to the top right. These were the only exceptions after viewing and photographing the details of dozens of works by the artist. 

The comparison of certain areas, such as the column, drapery and sky, demonstrate how the artist worked up the finished composition. Of special interest is the visible pentimenti in the study, especially in the hand and the paper on which it rests. The study reveals how the artist determined the placement of the hand and sketched it out. The finished example is painted with more certainty and ease since the details had been worked out in the study.

The study seems to have been framed and relined in the third quarter of the nineteenth century. The wooden name plate reads "Alexander, 1st Lord Ashburton, Sir Thomas Lawrence, PRA". I believe the painting may have originated from one of the Baring estates here in the United States. According to one of the inscriptions on the verso it was likely sold at auction in 1939.

The inscriptions on the frame and stretcher are as follows: "Baring 26/9/39", "Drawing Rm", "B324", "20", "A2106"and "No 4".

A head of Lord Ashburton, that was said to have been bought at one of the Lawrence sales, was lot #108 in the Matthew Hutchinson sale at Christie's, 22 of February, 1861. I find no record of this painting's current whereabouts or an image reproduced anywhere as of yet. Most likely this lost head study was painted from life and was used to complete the full study as well as the the finished portrait.

Click on the image below to easily compare the study and the finished portrait from the Baring Archive in a slideshow format:

Alexander Baring, 1st Lord Ashburton by Sir Thomas Lawrence, in the collection of the Baring Archive, London, oil on canvas, 50" x 40"

Alexander Baring, 1st Lord Ashburton, (1773-1848) was the second son of Sir Francis Baring and succeeded his father as head of the firm in 1804. In 1795 he went to the United States on behalf of Barings and Hope & Co of Amsterdam to negotiate the purchase of land in Maine from Senator William Bingham. Following the transaction he remained in North America to become Barings’ first resident agent there. In 1798 he married the Senator’s daughter Anne Bingham. They had five sons and five daughters.

Alexander did not return to London for several years and during this time he provided his father with a steady stream of intelligence about American merchants with the result that Barings gained an increasing number of American clients. In 1803 he was responsible for negotiating the financial arrangements for the USA's acquisition of the Territory of Louisiana.

When Sir Francis retired from the firm in 1804 he was succeed by his three eldest sons – Thomas, Alexander and Henry, although Alexander was very much the leading partner at first. Between 1817 and 1819 - when generally recognised as the most powerful financier in Europe - he negotiated bond issues on behalf of the French government in order to fund French reparation payments. The Duke of Wellington observed, “[Alexander] Baring having the French finances in his hands, and French loans being in fashion in England, has to a certain degree the command of the money market of the world."

After 1815 Alexander Baring travelled widely in Europe and was often absent from the firm for long periods. However, in c1817 he purchased the Grange estate in Hampshire. By the mid 1820s he was no longer active in the business, although he did not retire from the partnership until 1830, having ensured that there were talented individuals such as Joshua Bates in place to continue the firm’s work.

Alexander Baring was also involved in politics. From 1806 he sat as Member of Parliament for Taunton, initially as a Whig but later as a Tory. In 1832 Wellington offered him the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer, which he declined. In 1834 he was appointed by Sir Robert Peel as President of the Board of Trade. He was also involved in the negotiation of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842. The treaty settled the north-eastern border of the United States and Canada. He was created Lord Ashburton in 1835 on account of his contribution to British political life.

- from the Baring Archive

For more information on Alexander Baring, his family and the financial institution of which he was an important part please visit www.baringarchive.org.uk