William Roscoe

Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

How you can use this image

This image can be used for non-commercial research or private study purposes, and other UK exceptions to copyright permitted to users based in the United Kingdom under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised. Any other type of use will need to be cleared with the rights holder(s).

Review the copyright credit lines that are located underneath the image, as these indicate who manages the copyright (©) within the artwork, and the photographic rights within the image.

The collection that owns the artwork may have more information on their own website about permitted uses and image licensing options.

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

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.

Historian, poet, art collector, lawyer, politician and philanthropist, rose from humble beginnings in Liverpool to become one of the city's outstanding figures. He played an important role in developing the cultural life of the city. Roscoe was called to the Bar in 1774. He entered Parliament in 1806 where he fought against the slave trade. In 1795 he published his first historical work, The Life of Lorenzo de' Medici (1795), which made his reputation as a historian. His other major work, The Life of Pope Leo X (1805), proved controversial, but was again a best-seller. His 1806 poem, 'The Butterfly's Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast', has become a children's classic.

National Portrait Gallery, London

London

Title

William Roscoe

Date

c.1784

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 76.2 x W 62.2 cm

Accession number

963

Acquisition method

Given by the sitter's grandson, Sir Henry Enfield Roscoe, 1894

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.

National Portrait Gallery, London

St Martin’s Place, London, Greater London WC2H 0HE 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