Augustus Pugin
- Artist: Unknown artist
- Date: circa 1840
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 24 1/8 in. x 20 in. (613 mm x 508 mm)
- Portrays: Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This portrait of Augustus Pugin hangs in front of you. The canvas shows him in a modest pose, his face calm and thoughtful. The artist used oil on canvas, a technique common in the early‑1840s that gives the skin tones a subtle depth. In the lower corner, after his death, a small inscription marks his dates 1812–1852, his crest, and the motto “en avant” – meaning “onwards”.
Pugin was a key figure in England’s Gothic Revival. He converted to Catholicism in 1835 and wrote *The True Principles of Pointed or Christian Architecture* (1841). He designed churches such as St George’s Cathedral, Southwark, and worked with Sir Charles Barry on the Houses of Parliament. His furniture and metalwork were popular in the Victorian era. This portrait captures that blend of architectural vision and personal devotion.
See it in person
Augustus Pugin is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
