Bust

National Portrait Gallery - Kneller

Inscription

Kneller

Site: National Portrait Gallery (18 memorials)

WC2, Charing Cross Road

This building, 1896, designed by Ewan Christian, has 18 busts contained in medallions around the top of the facades. Starting at the east end of Orange Street and reading clockwise:
Facing north up Charing Cross Road: Chantrey, Lawrence, Reynolds, Hogarth, Roubilliac, Kneller, Lely, Van Dyke, Holbein.
Around the corner, facing east: Walpole, Clarendon, Fuller.
Facing north beside the entrance: Lodge, Faithorne, Granger.
Facing east, above the entrance are represented the three men chiefly responsible for the Gallery's existence: MacAulay, Stanhope, Carlyle.

2019: The Guardian reported on plans to move the entrance to this museum from the east side of the building round to the north side, where the Irving statue is.

2023: Londonist reported that the north entrance is now open and boasts three sets of doors etched with artworks by Tracy Emin. These show faces of 45 women, not specific or identifiable figures but, as the artist is quoted: "it's up to the viewer to discern what they feel and what they see or who they see..." Londonist sees 'The Doors' as "a direct challenge to/balancing act with the slew of Portland stone busts carved into the building’s original façade, featuring 18 men .."

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
National Portrait Gallery - Kneller

Subjects commemorated i

Sir Godfrey Kneller

Portrait painter. His set of portraits of Kit-Cat Club members is on display ...

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
National Portrait Gallery - Kneller

Also at this site i

Nearby Memorials

Colonial Office - B14 - Livingstone

Colonial Office - B14 - Livingstone

SW1, Whitehall, Foreign Office

Statues Hither and Thither has been invaluable in identifying some of the busts and most of the statues. The statues are not labelled and...

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators
Grosvenor Hotel - head 04

Grosvenor Hotel - head 04

SW1, Buckingham Palace Road, Grosvenor Hotel

This 1860 building, by architect James Knowles Snr, is studded with many portrait busts of which we believe only these 14 are representat...

Temple Bar memorial - Homer

Temple Bar memorial - Homer

EC4, Fleet Street

This is the site of the 17th century Temple Bar entrance to the City of London. Having become an obstruction to circulation it was remove...

1 subject commemorated
Knightsbridge - 6 - Salisbury

Knightsbridge - 6 - Salisbury

SW1, Knightsbridge, 55 - 91

Lea Cornthwaite suggested this might be the Duke of Cambridge. Stephen Brasher suggested Lord Salisbury.   Comparing pictures of the cont...

1 subject commemorated
Sir Joshua Reynolds bust

Sir Joshua Reynolds bust

WC2, Leicester Square

All four of the Leicester Square busts were removed in the 2010-12 redesign, and we don't know where they went.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator