Rokeby Venus created National Art Collections Fund, its first campaigning triumph. King Edward VII greatly admired the painting, and anonymously provided £8,000 (£ in 2019) towards its purchase, and became Patron of the Fund thereafter. In part because he was overlooked until the mid-19th century, Velázquez found no followers and was not widely imitated. In particular, his visual and structural innovations in this portrayal of Venus were not developed by other artists until recently, largely owing to the censorship of the work. The painting remained in a series of private rooms in private collections until it was exhibited in 1857 at the
Richard Robinson, 1st Baron Rokeby Richard Robinson, 1st Baron Rokeby The Most Rev. Dr Richard Robinson, 1st Baron Rokeby (1708 – 10 October 1794), was an Anglo-Irish ecclesiastic. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford (BA 1730, MA 1733, BD & DD 1748). Robinson came to Ireland as chaplain to the Duke of Dorset in 1751. He was translated from the See of Kildare to the Archbishopric of Armagh in 1765. In 1777 he was created Baron Rokeby, of Armagh in the County of Armagh, in the Peerage of Ireland, with special remainder to Matthew Robinson (1694–1778) of West Layton, in the