Nathaniel Dance-Holland

Nathaniel Dance-Holland
Self-Portrait, c. 1773
Born(1735-05-08)8 May 1735
London, England
Died15 October 1811(1811-10-15) (aged 76)
Winchester, Hampshire, England
Occupations
  • Painter
  • politician

Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, 1st Baronet RA (8 May 1735 – 15 October 1811) was a British painter and politician.

Early life

The third son of architect George Dance the Elder, Dance (he added the 'Holland' suffix later in life) studied art under Francis Hayman, and like many contemporaries also studied in Italy. There he met Angelica Kauffman and painted several historic and classical paintings.

Career

On his return to Britain, he became a successful portrait painter. With Hayman and his architect brother, George, he was one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768. He was commissioned to paint King George III and his queen, plus Captain James Cook[1] and actor David Garrick. His group portrait The Pybus Family (1769) is in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.[2]

In 1790, he gave up his artistic career and became Member of Parliament for East Grinstead in Sussex. He served this seat until 1802 when he moved to Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, serving until 1806.

In 1807 he moved back to East Grinstead, serving until he died in 1811. He was made a baronet in 1800; the title became extinct on his death.[3]

Family

He was married to Harriet, the daughter of Sir Cecil Bishopp, 6th Baronet and the widow of Thomas Dummer, for whom his brother had designed the house at Cranbury Park, near Winchester.[4] They lived at Little Wittenham Manor in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire).[5] His wife survived him until 1825.[4] His nephew, Sir Nathaniel Dance, was an East India Company officer famous for his actions at the naval Battle of Pulo Aura in 1804.

Notes

  1. ↑ "National Museum of Australia - James Cook portrait by Nathaniel Dance". www.nma.gov.au. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  2. ↑ "Profile". Archived from the original on 2 October 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  3. ↑ Graham-Vernon, Deborah. "Dance, Nathaniel [afterwards Sir Nathaniel Holland, baronet] (1735–1811)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/13534. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
  4. 1 2 "Horninghold, Gartree Hundred" (PDF). Victoria County History of Leicestershire. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  5. ↑ Ford, David Nash (2008). "Sir Nathaniel Dance Holland (1735-1811)". Royal Berkshire History. Nash Ford Publishing. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
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