Richard Mead (1673–1754)

Image credit: Royal College of Physicians, London

How you can use this image

 

This image is available to be shared and re-used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (CC BY-NC-ND).

You can reproduce this image for non-commercial purposes and you are not able to change or modify it in any way.

Wherever you reproduce the image you must attribute the original creators (acknowledge the original artist(s) and the person/organisation that took the photograph of the work) and any other rights holders.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find more images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Download

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

Richard Mead (1673–1754) became a famous physician after the publication of his paper 'Mechanical Account of Poisons', and he ran a very popular and prosperous practice, earning between £6,000–7,000 a year. He became a fellow of the Royal Society and worked as physician to St Thomas’s Hospital, London. When George II became King, Mead worked as his physician-in-ordinary. Mead was a keen collector and owned thousands of books, medals, statues and other miscellany, which he allowed the public to view in his house on Great Ormond Street. It was Mead who persuaded the wealthy citizen Thomas Guy to bequeath his fortune to found the hospital which bears his name. In the portrait Mead is depicted with the figure of Minerva, who holds a plaque with an image of the physician William Harvey.

Royal College of Physicians, London

London

Title

Richard Mead (1673–1754)

Date

c.1740

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 127 x W 99.8 cm

Accession number

X75

Acquisition method

gift from Dr Charles Chauncey, 1759

Work type

Painting

Tags

See a tag that’s incorrect or offensive? Challenge it and notify Art UK.

Help improve Art UK. Tag artworks and verify existing tags by joining the Tagger community.

Normally on display at

Royal College of Physicians, London

11 St Andrew's Place, Regent's Park, London, Greater London NW1 4LE England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue