A half-length portrait to left, wearing vice-admiral’s undress uniform, 1795–1812. Nelson wears a hat fitted with an eye shade, which helped his poor vision given that (having only one arm) he could not otherwise easily shield his one sighted eye from glare. On his uniform are embroidered the stars of the Bath, the Neapolitan Order of St Ferdinand, the Turkish Order of the Crescent and German Order of St Joachim and of Merit.
This painting is accessioned as BHC2893 and BHC2270. There is part of a rather confused note by the 3rd Earl Nelson attached to the painting stating it is a version by Devis, presented to him by a Reverend R. S. Halliday, a Devon clergyman, the original having been commissioned either by Dr Beatty of the 'Victory' or Captain, later Admiral, William Page. Beatty certainly had one and used an engraving from it to illustrate his account of Nelson's death (see PAD3841), Devis having been present at his autopsy on Nelson's body en route from Portsmouth to the Nore in December 1805 while researching for his large 'Death of Nelson' painting. This was when the body was removed from the large cask of brandy and 'spirits of wine' in which it had been returned from Gibraltar to England. One version of the portrait was also shown at the Royal Academy in 1807. [PvdM 2/05]