The White Rajah of Sarawak Musical Facebook Page
History Trivia
The Portrait of James Brooke
Portrait of Sir James Brooke by Sir Francis Grant, 56 1/4 in. x 43 3/4 in. (1429 mm x 1111 mm) oil on canvas, 1847
This portrait is in the National Portrait Gallery in London.
It was bequeathed by Sir Spenser St John in 1910 to the gallery. It was painted by Sir Francis Grant (1803-1878) who was a portrait painter and President of the Royal Academy. The artist is associated with 101 portraits. This portrait was painted on Brooke’s return to England in October 1847. Brooke, in undress naval uniform, is set against an idealized Eastern landscape, presumably intended to represent Sarawak. The picture was apparently painted as an act of friendship and given to Brooke by the artist.
