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John Vanderbank, 1694–1739

John Dodd, of Swallowfield, Berkshire

1739

At the age of three, the future Whig Member of Parliament John Dodd (1717–1782) of Swallowfield, near Reading, Berkshire, inherited a fortune in property from his father and, a year later, inherited a further, enormous fortune from the widow of his great-uncle, Sir Samuel Dodd, who had been Chief Baron of the Exchequer. In adult life he lived comfortably, pouring much of his wealth into a somewhat sluggish political career. In this painting, John Vanderbank portrays Dodd with his elegant greyhound as a promising, well-dressed young man, aged twenty-two. Trained by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Vanderbank enjoyed a high reputation as an artist in his short career, but he died heavily in debt due to an extravagant and dissolute lifestyle at age forty-five.

Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016

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John Vanderbank, born in London, England, 1694; active in England; died in London, England, 1739, John Dodd, of Swallowfield, Berkshire, 1739, Oil on canvas, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, B1978.43.17.
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At the age of three, the future Whig Member of Parliament John Dodd (1717–1782) of Swallowfield, near Reading, Berkshire, inherited a fortune in property from his father and, a year later, inherited a further, enormous fortune from the widow of his great-uncle, Sir Samuel Dodd, who had been Chief Baron of the Exchequer. In adult life he lived comfortably, pouring much of his wealth into a somewhat sluggish political career. In this painting, John Vanderbank portrays Dodd with his elegant greyhound as a promising, well-dressed young man, aged twenty-two. Trained by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Vanderbank enjoyed a high reputation as an artist in his short career, but he died heavily in debt due to an extravagant and dissolute lifestyle at age forty-five.

Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016

Acquisitions : The First Decade 1977-1986 : Yale Center for British Art, , Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT, 1986, p. 9, N590.2 .A7 OVERSIZE (YCBA) [YCBA]

Malcolm Cormack, Concise Catalogue of Paintings in the Yale Center for British Art, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT, 1985, pp. 230-231, N590.2 .A83 (YCBA) [YCBA]

Notable Works of Art on the Market [Advertisement Supplement], Burlington Magazine, vol. 117,no.873, December 1975, pp.. U4, U29, pl. XXVI, N1 B87 + (YCBA) Available online in JStor. [YCBA]

Paul Mellon's Legacy : a passion for British art [large print labels], , Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT, 2007, v.1, N5220 M552 P381 2007 OVERSIZE (YCBA) [YCBA]

Duncan Robinson, Acquisitions : The First Decade 1977 - 1986, , Burlington Magazine, vol. 128, October 1986, p. 9, N1 .B87 128:3 OVERSIZE (YCBA) [YCBA]

Roy C. Strong, The British portrait, 1660-1960, Antique Collectors' Club, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 1991, pp. 128, 130, pl. 118, ND1314 B743 1991 (YCBA) [YCBA]

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