Portrait of George Montagu Dunk with his Two Secretaries
by HAMILTON, Hugh Douglas, Oil on canvas, 66 x 78 cm
The painting shows George Montagu Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax (1716-1771), with his two secretaries, Edward Sedgwick and Lovell Stanhope. The 2nd Earl of Halifax was one of the leading British statesmen of the Georgian era and the ‘Father of the Colonies’. As President of the Board of Trade from 1748-61 Halifax did much to foster trade in North America and was responsible for the foundation of Nova Scotia. Its capital, Halifax, is named after him.
The painting is dated centre right, on the dispatch box: 1765.