John (Jack) Delaval & Unknown Attendant (detail)

Oil on canvas of John (Jack) Delaval and unknown attendant by William Bell in Seaton Deleval Hall, Northumberland.

One of a set of 6 painted for John Hussey Deleval (1728-1808) that hung in the central hall by Bell

Jack (1756-17750), only son of John and Susannah, is 14 in this portrait and died just a few years later.

William Bell (1734/5 – 1794) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. A prize-winning student at the Royal Academy of Arts, influenced by Sir Joshua Reynolds, he achieved eminence in his native area, the North East of England. His best-known works are portraits of Sir John (later Lord) Delaval and his family, which are in the collection of the National Trust at Seaton Delaval Hall, Northumberland. Bell’s portrait of Robert Harrison, 1715–1802, is in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London.