Location: Temple Newsam House, Leeds, England
Date: Late 18th century
Dimensions: 24.5 x 29.25 inches
Medium: Pastel
Savile Green (1743–1805) was a key shareholder in Leeds Pottery, a major producer best known for its fashionable and elegant creamware. Born into a South Yorkshire gentry family, Green worked as a mercer, linen draper, and book-keeper before purchasing his share in the pottery in 1777.
Painted by John Russell, likely during his Leeds visits in 1793 or 1803, Green’s portrait is an example of the Leed’s of industrial boom. The window opens to a bustling view of the factory site on Waggon Road and Jack Lane, closely matching the real-world view from Green’s home.
Billowing smoke and active workers highlight the site’s productivity. Green holds a letter addressed to the firm (Hartley Greens & Co) from St. Petersburg, nodding to the pottery’s international success. His son, Savile Green Junior, later travelled extensively for the business, visiting Russia, Brazil, and Madeira.
This is one of several portraits John Russell was commissioned to create by notable individuals and businessmen from Leeds, including three figures associated with the Leeds Pottery.
Today, this portrait hangs alongside that of his colleague, Alexander Turner, at Temple Newsam.
