Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 73 works by William Hamilton in our catalogue
Quick answer
John Palmer Whalley (1775) is William Hamilton's best-known painting; the original belongs to the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven. Alexander Masterton and His Wife and Children (1834) ranks second, Christ and the woman of Samaria (1792) third. Our catalogue has 73 works by William Hamilton; here are the 73 most famous, ranked, with the year and museum of each, to help you pick the one to order.
In this portrait of John Palmer Whalley, William Hamilton captures a moment of quietude from about 1775. The subject is a young boy, presented in an intimate, waist-up view that feels like a sudden encounter in a private room. He is framed within an oval composition, a shape that focuses the eye entirely on his youthful presence. This work is held within the Yale Center for British Art collection.
The oil on canvas titled Alexander Masterton and His Wife and Children captures a family gathered within a dense, shadowed woodland. Painted by William Hamilton about 1834, the work presents Alexander Masterton alongside his wife and children. The subjects are positioned in a lush landscape where the deep greens of the forest meet the bright, pale fabrics of their attire. It is a quiet assembly of figures caught in a…
In this oil on canvas painting from 1792, two primary figures occupy the foreground of a landscape centered around a stone well. On the left, a seated man is draped in heavy blue and deep red robes. He extends an open hand toward a woman standing on the right. This woman wears a golden-yellow gown with white sleeves and a light headwrap, her hands holding a rope attached to a…
Celadon and Amelia is a painting by William Hamilton, executed in 1793. The work draws its narrative from the Summer section of the English nature poem "The Seasons." It captures a moment of sudden, heavy stillness following a tempest.
Lavinia and her Mother1792 · Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University
12
Isabella appealing to Angelo1793
13
The Duke of York discovering his son Aumerle's treachery1790
14
Prospero and Ariel1797 · Alte Nationalgalerie
15
Calypso receiving Telemachus and Mentor in the Grotto1800
16
A Scene from Twelfth Night1797
17
Olivia's proposal1796
18
Fishing Boats Returning from the Sea1800 · Lönnström Art Museum
19
The Marriage of George, Prince of Wales, and Princess Caroline of Brunswick1796 · Royal Collection
20
Portrait of an Actress as OmphaleMuseum of Fine Arts
21
Brabantio’s Accusation against Othello, Othello, act 1, scene 3.
22
2nd Duke Of Hamilton
23
Project For A Monument Dedicated To Louis Xvi
24
Classical Ruins -Kedleston Hall
25
Mary Curzon -
26
Mrs Sarah Siddons
27
Cardinal Robert De Curzon
28
John WesleyNational Portrait Gallery
29
The Death Of ArthurScottish National Gallery
30
The Four SeasonsKedleston Hall
31
Design For An Aviary And Pergola In The Chinese
32
View Of Sarsden
33
Design For The North Front Of A House On Clapham
34
Calling Card Of Humphrey Repton
35
The Work House, Illustration From
36
Ruth And Boaz
37
Mary CurzonKedleston Hall
38
Two Young Ladies In Calico Gowns
39
Humphrey Repton Surveying With A Theodolite
40
The Pump Room
41
Portrait Of William Hamilton
42
Classical RuinsKedleston Hall
43
Classical Ruins -Kedleston Hall
44
The PilgrimBirmingham Museum and Art Gallery
45
Scene From Shakespeare's 'the Winter's Tale'
46
Scene From Shakespeare's 'a Winter's Tale'Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
47
The Four Seasons. Summer – Triumph of Apollo
48
The Four Seasons. Summer – Triumph of Apollo
49
Mary Stephens Wells, Nee Davies
50
Classical Ruins -Kedleston Hall
51
The Four Seasons: Autumn - Triumph of Silenus, Bacchus and Ariadne
52
Two Women With A Baby Conversing In A Wood
53
John Philip Kemble As Richard Iii In 'richard Iii'
54
Ceres And ArethusaKedleston Hall
55
Henry SiddonsScottish National Portrait Gallery
56
Sarah Siddons
57
The Four Seasons. Autumn – Triumph of Selinus, Bacchus and Ariadne
58
Apollo And HyacinthusKedleston Hall
59
The Honourable, Later Admiral, Henry CurzonKedleston Hall
60
Vertumnus And Pomona
61
The Watercress-gatherers
62
Scene From 'the Tempest' By William Shakespeare
63
A Scene From 'as You Like It' By William Shakespeare
64
The Nut-gatherers
65
Duke of Hamilton's return from coursing
66
The Landing Of Richard Ii At Milford Haven
67
'twelfth Night' By William Shakespeare
68
John Philip Kemble
69
Maria, Olivia And Viola From 'twelfth Night' By William Shakespeare
70
Sarah Siddons As Isabella From 'the Tragedy Of Isabella' Or 'the Fatal Marriage'
71
'a Winter's Tale', Act Iv, Scene 3, The Shepherd's Cot
72
Marie Antoinette being taken to her Execution, October 16, 17931794 · Museum of the French Revolution
73
King Edgar's First Interview With Queen ElfridaSudbury Hall
The four most frequent subjects in this ranking, with the top painting for each.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by William Hamilton | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Kedleston Hall |
10 | Ruth and Boaz, Classical Ruins -, The Four Seasons | |
 Yale Center for British Art |
New Haven | 2 | John Palmer Whalley, The revelation of Olivia's betrothal, from "Twelfth Night," Act V, Scene i |
 Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery |
Birmingham | 2 | The Pilgrim, Scene From Shakespeare's 'a Winter's Tale' |
 Los Angeles County Museum of Art |
Los Angeles | 1 | Alexander Masterton and His Wife and Children |
 Art Gallery of New South Wales |
Sydney | 1 | Christ and the woman of Samaria |
 Detroit Institute of Arts |
Detroit | 1 | Celadon and Amelia |
 Museum of Fine Arts |
Houston | 1 | Edwy and Elgiva: A Scene from Saxon History |
 Phoenix Art Museum |
Phoenix | 1 | The Wolves Descending from the Alps |
Select a decade to see its top painting.
In this portrait of John Palmer Whalley, William Hamilton captures a moment of quietude from about 1775. The subject is a young boy, presented in an intimate, waist-up view that feels like a sudden encounter in a private room. He is framed within an oval composition, a shape that focuses the eye entirely on his youthful presence. This work is held within the Yale Center for British Art collection.
In this oil on canvas painting from 1792, two primary figures occupy the foreground of a landscape centered around a stone well. On the left, a seated man is draped in heavy blue and deep red robes. He extends an open hand toward a woman standing on the right. This woman wears a golden-yellow gown with white sleeves and a light headwrap, her hands holding a rope attached to a…
John Palmer Whalley (1775), Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, ranks first, followed by Alexander Masterton and His Wife and Children (1834) and Christ and the woman of Samaria (1792).
William Hamilton was 24: John Palmer Whalley is dated 1775, and William Hamilton was born in 1751.
John Palmer Whalley, Alexander Masterton and His Wife and Children, Christ and the woman of Samaria, Celadon and Amelia, Ruth and Boaz, Edwy and Elgiva: A Scene from Saxon History, The revelation of Olivia's betrothal, from "Twelfth Night," Act V, Scene i, The Wolves Descending from the Alps, Joan of Arc and the Furies and The carousing of Sir Toby Belch and Sir Anthony Aguecheek. Year and museum for each are in the ranking above.
73 works by William Hamilton are in our catalogue, dated 1775 to 1800.
Mainly in Kedleston Hall, Yale Center for British Art (New Haven) and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (Birmingham). See the museum table above for the full list.
In 1790s: 15 of the 73 paintings ranked here date from that time, including Christ and the woman of Samaria.
Earliest on this page: John Palmer Whalley (1775). Latest: Calypso receiving Telemachus and Mentor in the Grotto (1800).
Among the 73 paintings ranked here: Scenes (4), Gods (4) and Man (3).
Oil On Canvas, for 5 of the 73 paintings ranked here.
Neoclassicism and Baroque, based on the paintings ranked on this page.
The Kedleston Hall holds 10 of the paintings ranked here, including Ruth and Boaz, Classical Ruins - and The Four Seasons.
Yes. Every painting on this page can be ordered as a hand-painted oil reproduction or a print. Open the painting, choose the size and place your order.
In the vibrant, intellectually charged atmosphere of Georgian Britain, few figures embodied the era's unique synthesis of aesthetic grace and scientific rigor quite like William Hamilton. Born in Chelsea, London, in 1751, Hamilton was far more than a mere painter; he was a true polymath whose life’s work bridged the gap between the delicate nuances of Neoclassical art and the precise observations of natural science. His journey began not with the brush, but with the disciplined eye of an architectural draftsman, a foundation that would later imbue his canvases with an unparalleled structural clarity and meticulous detail.
Hamilton’s artistic evolution was profoundly shaped by his encounters with the masters of his age. His formal training under the legendary Joshua Reynolds—the titan of British portraiture—instilled in him a deep reverence for realism and the idealized beauty characteristic of the Neoclassical tradition. However, his thirst for knowledge led him far beyond the studios of London. His travels through Italy, where he studied under the Venetian artist Antonio Zucchi, expanded his visual vocabulary, allowing him to infuse his work with the classical grandeur of Rome and the luminous light of the Mediterranean.
What truly distinguishes Hamilton from his contemporaries was his refusal to view art as an isolated pursuit. For Hamilton, the canvas was a laboratory for observation. During his time in Naples, commissioned by King George III, he embarked on an ambitious project to document the Neapolitan Royal Collection. This endeavor required him to act as both artist and naturalist; as he painted, he simultaneously immersed himself in the study of botany and geology. The result was a body of work that served as a vital scientific record, where every petal and mineral vein was rendered with an accuracy that satisfied both the poet and the scientist.
This dual passion is most evident in his celebrated portraits and dramatic scenes. While works such as “Portrait of Sarah Siddons” capture the emotive depth and theatrical elegance of the period, they are underpinned by a technical precision that speaks to his scientific training. His ability to blend the sweeping drama of the Rococo with the disciplined observation of the Enlightenment allowed him to create works that were both emotionally resonant and intellectually profound.
As his career progressed, Hamilton became a master of narrative, finding immense success in illustrating the literary giants of his time. He was a pivotal figure in several major publishing ventures, most notably contributing to John Boydell’s Shakespeare Gallery. His ability to translate the epic scale of Shakespearean drama onto canvas made him a favorite among the public, as his illustrations were widely reproduced in popular prints, bringing high art into the homes of the burgeoning middle class.
Beyond the stage and the study, Hamilton’s reach extended to the very pulse of contemporary history. He possessed a rare ability to capture the zeitgeist, painting modern events—such as the tragic execution of Marie Antoinette—with the same gravity and epic composition usually reserved for ancient legends. This capacity to elevate contemporary drama to the level of historical myth solidified his reputation as one of the most versatile artists of the late 18th century.
By the time of his death in 1801, William Hamilton had secured a permanent place in the annals of the Royal Academy, having risen from an associate to a full member. His legacy is not found merely in individual masterpieces, but in the very spirit of his approach: the idea that art can be a vessel for truth, whether that truth is found in the curve of a human cheek or the intricate structure of a geological specimen.
His contributions can be summarized through several key pillars of his career:
Today, Hamilton remains a symbol of the Enlightenment—a reminder of a time when the boundaries between the arts and sciences were not walls, but windows through which we might better understand the world.
