Credit: ©The Royal Society
Image number: RS.9717
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Portrait of Henry More
Date
17th century
Sitter
Henry More (1614 - 1687, British) , Philosopher
Creator
Attributed to Peter Lely (1618 - 1680, Dutch) , Painter
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Dimensions
height (painting): 762mm
width (painting): 635mm
width (painting): 635mm
Subject
Description
Head and shoulder portrait of Henry More in a painted oval, his body turned to the viewer’s left, the right hand held at the breast. The sitter has shoulder length natural hair and is dressed in a dark coat with a white collar.
Henry More was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1664.
Henry More was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1664.
Object history
Attributed to Sir Peter Lely. Bequeathed by Thomas Paget (1638-1717), 1717.
The donation of this and two other portraits is recorded in the Society’s Journal Book: “The will of Dr. Thomas Paget was produced by which the Dr. has bequeathed to the Royal Society two houses in Coleman Street London...also three pictures; Viz. of Gassendus, T. Hobbs and Dr. Henry Moor. The President was pleased to undertake to ask of the executor the Deeds of the Estate.” [Royal Society Journal Book, Original, (JBO/12) 1714-1720, p.181, meeting of 17 October 1717].
The picture was attributed to Sir Peter Lely in an 1834 list of Royal Society portraits and C.R.Weld’s Catalogue [Descriptive catalogue of the portraits in the possession of the Royal Society, by Charles Richard Weld (London, Taylor and Francis, 1860), p.50] and in subsequent listings until Robinson and Forbes. Sarah Hutton’s more recent ODNB entry considers this to be Lely’s work. [“More, Henry (1614-1687)”, by Sarah Hutton, ODNB, (OUP, 2004) vol.39, pp.47-50].
Portraits of Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655) were also owned and donated to the Royal Society by Thomas Paget.
The donation of this and two other portraits is recorded in the Society’s Journal Book: “The will of Dr. Thomas Paget was produced by which the Dr. has bequeathed to the Royal Society two houses in Coleman Street London...also three pictures; Viz. of Gassendus, T. Hobbs and Dr. Henry Moor. The President was pleased to undertake to ask of the executor the Deeds of the Estate.” [Royal Society Journal Book, Original, (JBO/12) 1714-1720, p.181, meeting of 17 October 1717].
The picture was attributed to Sir Peter Lely in an 1834 list of Royal Society portraits and C.R.Weld’s Catalogue [Descriptive catalogue of the portraits in the possession of the Royal Society, by Charles Richard Weld (London, Taylor and Francis, 1860), p.50] and in subsequent listings until Robinson and Forbes. Sarah Hutton’s more recent ODNB entry considers this to be Lely’s work. [“More, Henry (1614-1687)”, by Sarah Hutton, ODNB, (OUP, 2004) vol.39, pp.47-50].
Portraits of Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655) were also owned and donated to the Royal Society by Thomas Paget.
Associated place