Gustavus Hamilton, 2nd Viscount Boyne (1639-1723), in the cabin of his yacht, 1731-32 (oil on...

Creator: after Bartolommeo Nazari A conversation piece set in the great cabin of the vessel which took Lord Boyne from Venice to Lisbon. Gustavus Hamilton succeeded to the title in 1723 and shortly before coming of age he made the Grand Tour. The original and larger painting, still in the Boyne collection, was probably executed in Venice during this tour, between 1731 and 1732. Although it is a work depicting a group of friends, it may also convey hidden political significance. Lord Boyne is shown as a full-length portrait to left in profile, seated at a table. He sits sideways in the chair, his right arm over the back and his hands clasped. One of the others in the cabin is believed to be the third Earl of Carlisle, with white hair standing to the left and holding a drinking mug in his left hand. On the right Sir Francis Dashwood is pointing on a chart to the Straits of Bonifacio, possibly marking a route from Venice to Lisbon on a chart.