204 On (he Early Life of Sir Thomas Lawrence, P.R.A. 



The reputation which Lawrence had acquired subsequently 

 induced the Prince Regent to commission him to paint the portraits 

 of the Sovereigns, Statesmen, and Generals, who had been actively 

 engaged in the last great contests with Napoleon. He commenced 

 his labours in 1814 with the portraits of the King of Prussia, of 

 Platoff, and of Blucher, who were then in England. In 1818 he 

 proceeded to the Congress at Aix la Chapelle, thence to Vienna, and 

 in 1819 to Rome, where he completed the series with the portraits 

 of Pope Pius YII and of Cardinal Consalvo. All these pictures are 

 now, I believe, in the Waterloo hall, at Windsor Castle. Mr. 

 Lockhart gives the following account of this commission in his life 

 of Sir Walter Scott. " On Scott's arrival in London in 1820, one 

 of his first visitors was Sir Thomas Lawrence, who informed him 

 that the King (George IT) had resolved to adorn the great Gallery 

 then in progress at Windsor Castle, with portraits, by his hand, 

 of his Majesty's most distinguished contemporaries. All the reign- 

 ing monarchs in Europe, and their chief ministers and generals had 

 already sat for this purpose. On the same walls the King desired 

 to see exhibited those of his own subjects who had attained the 

 highest honours of literature and science, and it was his pleasure 

 that the series should commence with Walter Scott." 



Lawrence received the honour of Knighthood from the Prince 

 Regent in 1815 ; was elected President of the Royal Academy in 

 1820 ; and died in London, after a very short illness, on the 7th of 

 January, 1830. 



It remains only that I should add a few words as to the personal 

 appearance of the late President, though as I never myself saw 

 him, I am only able to repeat what I have heard from others. I 

 have already said that, as a child, he was remakable for his beauty, 

 and his engaging manners ; As a man he was a general favourite 

 with ladies, and was always pleased to be in their society, though 

 he never married. When in the prime of life, he was an exceedingly 

 handsome and well built man. His features were open, with a 

 commanding expression, yet kind, conciliatory, and captivating. 

 Of his conversation, Sir Walter Scott once said, " He is, from the 

 habit of coaxing his sitters, I suppose, a little too fair spoken, 



