W. Peters R.A. Pinxit. Iohn Dean Fecit.
Publish'd the 6th of August 1777 by I Dean Church Street Soho.
Mezzotint. Plate 395 x 280mm. 15½ x 11". Rubbed.
George Pochin (1732-1798) was a Colonel of the Leicestershire militia and served in the American War. Pochin, who already had estates in Leicestershire, succeeded to the title of Lord of the Manor of Bourne Abbots in 1761, where he built a fine mansion, the Abbey House; he stayed there until his death in 1798. He was Lord of the Manor for some 37 years, and both he and his wife are remembered by a marble plaque to record their lives of devotion to public service and Christian charity. He was Colonel of the Leicestershire Regiment of Militia, Deputy Lieutenant and Magistrate in the Counties of Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. The artist is Matthew William Peters (1742-1814), most famous for his provocative painting of a courtesan (known as 'Lydia' in the mezzotint copy). He came to regret his choice of subject, as he was ordained in 1781, becoming the Royal Academy's chaplain (1784-8), then chaplain to the Prince of Wales.
BM: 1902,1011.648. CS: 21: i of ii; Lady Victoria Manners' 'Matthew William Peters, R.A.' p.63
[Ref: 16607]  £180.00