Credit: ©The Royal Society
    Image number: RS.9683
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    Portrait of Edward Sabine

    Date
    1855
    Sitter
    Edward Sabine (1788 - 1883, Irish) , Army officer
    Creator
    Stephen Pearce (1819 - 1904, British) , Painter
    Object type
    Archive reference number
    Material
    Dimensions
    height (painting): 1275mm
    width (painting): 1021mm
    Subject
    Content object
    Description
    Half-length portrait of Edward Sabine looking to the viewer’s right. Dressed in a dark single-breasted frock coat, black tie and high collared shirt. Sabine holds in both hands a paper document with a round brass tie, the paper headed: “Terrestrial Magnetism 11”18”. Sabine is posed with regalia to signify his office as President of the Royal Society. To the left of the painting and slightly behind Sabine is the Society’s sculpture bust of Sir Joseph Banks by Sir Francis Chantrey. To the right and in front of Sabine is the head of the Society’s silver mace lying on its red velvet and tasselled cushion.

    Sabine was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1818, he served as its President from 1861-1871.
    Transcription
    STEPHEN PEARCE 1855
    No.1...[?] A Giller Esq (re)...house [?] Painted by S.Pearce 25 Queen Anne Street
    SIR EDWARD SABINE, Pres.R.S. By STEPHEN PEARCE
    Object history
    Presented by Lady Elizabeth Juliana Sabine (1807-1879), 1866.

    The donation is recorded in Council Minutes: “Dr Sharpey stated that he had been requested by Mrs Sabine to communicate to the Council her desire to present to the Royal Society a Portrait of the President, painted by Mr.Pearce. Resolved That the Council have great pleasure in accepting, on behalf of the Society, the Portrait of their esteemed President, and desire the Secretary to convey to Mrs Sabine the expression of their sincere gratification, and their most cordial thanks for her highly valued present.“ [Royal Society Council Minutes, Original, CMO/14, meeting of 11 October 1866].
    Associated place
    <The World>
       > Europe
          > Ireland
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