Credit: ©The Royal Society
Image number: RS.9716
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Portrait of Nevil Maskelyne
Date
1785
Sitter
Nevil Maskelyne (1732 - 1811, British) , Astronomer
Creator
Gerard van der Puyl (1750 - 1824, Dutch) , Painter
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Dimensions
height (painting): 1050mm
width (painting): 868mm
width (painting): 868mm
Subject
Content object
Description
Half-length portrait of Nevil Maskelyne seated in a green square-backed chair, dressed on a short white wig, black clerical robes and white bands. Maskelyne holds a sheaf of papers in his left hand, the top sheet with figures headed: “PRISMATIC MICRO-“. This rests on a leather bound volume, title on the spine: “MASKELYNE’S OBSERVATIONS GREENWICH”. Behind is a landscape of the Old Royal Observatory, Greenwich, with drapery to the left as viewed.
Nevil Maskelyne (1732–1811), British astronomer and mathematician, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1758. He was awarded the Society's Copley Medal in 1775 'in consideration of his curious and laborious Observations on the Attraction of Mountains, made in Scotland, - on Schehallien.'
Nevil Maskelyne (1732–1811), British astronomer and mathematician, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1758. He was awarded the Society's Copley Medal in 1775 'in consideration of his curious and laborious Observations on the Attraction of Mountains, made in Scotland, - on Schehallien.'
Transcription
65
Maskelyne
G.MORRILL LINER
NEVIL MASKELYNE, D.D., F.R.S. By L.F.VAN DER PUYL
Maskelyne
G.MORRILL LINER
NEVIL MASKELYNE, D.D., F.R.S. By L.F.VAN DER PUYL
Object history
Presented by Mrs Mervyn Story, 1828-1830.
Margaret Maskelyne (1785-1858) who presented the painting was the daughter of Nevil Maskelyne. She married Anthony Mervyn Reeve Story (1791-1879) [later Story-Maskelyne FRS]. Presented between 1828 and 1830, the gift appears in the collected listing of gifts in the Philosophical Transactions, but a more specific date is absent from the Journal Books of the period. [“Presents received by the Royal Society, from 19th November 1828, to 17th June 1830; with the names of the donors”, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, vol.120 (1830), supplement.p.11].
Margaret Maskelyne (1785-1858) who presented the painting was the daughter of Nevil Maskelyne. She married Anthony Mervyn Reeve Story (1791-1879) [later Story-Maskelyne FRS]. Presented between 1828 and 1830, the gift appears in the collected listing of gifts in the Philosophical Transactions, but a more specific date is absent from the Journal Books of the period. [“Presents received by the Royal Society, from 19th November 1828, to 17th June 1830; with the names of the donors”, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, vol.120 (1830), supplement.p.11].
Associated place