Description:A portrait, believed to be of Thomas Anson (1695-1773) of Shugborough. Thomas inherited the Shugborough estate in 1720 and was the elder brother of Admiral George Anson.
He was an educated man, travelling widely in Egypt and Europe, and collecting books, paintings, botanical specimens and sculpture. He played a crucial role in introducing ideas and design from classical Greece and Rome to Britain, and the monuments, landscaping and decoration of the Hall at Shugborough date largely from his time. He was a member of the Dilettanti Society, founded in 1732, which was a forum for cultural discussion, sponsored publications and sent expeditions to Italy, Greece and Asia Minor.
Although a private man who remained a batchelor, he had a wide circle of friends, including Josiah Wedgwood, Matthew Boulton, Erasmus Darwin and James Brindley. He was also a patron for many artists, including the architects Thomas Wright and James 'Athenian' Stuart, sculptors Joseph Nollekens and Peter Scheemakers, the artist Nicholas Dall, and the composer Anton Kammel. He was a rather inactive Member of Parliament for Lichfield between 1747 and 1770.
This portrait, in the manner of John Vandebank (c.1694-1739), is on display at Shugborough Hall and is reproduced with the permission of the National Trust.