Henry Herbert Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, 1852 - 1928. Statesman, James Guthrie, circa 1920

Although from the north of england, asquith represented the constituents of east fife in the house of commons for over thirty years. Chancellor of the exchequer in campbell-bannerman’s 1905 government, asquith became prime minister three years later. He brought winston churchill and lloyd george into his government and in foreign policy saw the necessity of standing by france against german expansion in europe. The result led to the first world war with asquith as prime minister until lloyd george replaced him in 1916. This oil sketch was made by guthrie in preparation for his great commission ‘statesmen of the great war’. Object Type: painting. Date: circa 1920. Dimensions: height: 111.8 cm (44 in); width: 86.3 cm (33.9 in). Medium: oil on canvas. Collection: Scottish National Gallery. Henry Herbert Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith - Detail