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Notes
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In this three-quarter-length portrait, the sitter holds a foxglove. William Withering was not only a generous physician, setting up poor clinics for those who could not afford to pay, but was also a significant botanist. He produced a landmark work in the field of botany in 1776 called 'The Botanical Arrangement of All the Vegetables Naturally Growing in G. Britain'. He undertook research into the healing qualities of the foxglove but with limited success. He moved to Birmingham in 1775 and was henceforth an active member of the City's Lunar Society, an organisation to involve the people of Birmingham in its improvement. Carl Frederik von Breda painted portaits of society members between the years 1792 and 1793. He had been educated at the Royal Academy in Stockholm before moving to Britain in 1781 where he was taught by Sir Joshua Reynolds.
Title
William Withering (1741–1799)
Date
20th C
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 124.5 x W 101.6 cm
Accession number
A0229
Acquisition method
commissioned by the University of Birmingham
Work type
Painting
