Details
JOHN DOWNMAN, A.R.A. (RUABON, WALES 1750-1824 WREXHAM)
Portrait of an officer of the 45th Regiment of Foot
pencil, stump and watercolor on paper
818 x 634 in. (20.6 x 17 cm), oval
Provenance
with Knoedler Gallery, New York.
with Elle Shushan, Pennsylvania.
Acquired by Irene Roosevelt Aitken from the above, 2012.
Literature
G.C. Williamson, John Downman, A.R.A., London, 1907, p. LXI, no. 286.
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Lot Essay

This drawing has traditionally been identified as a portrait of Captain George Keppel, nephew of the celebrated admiral, Augustus, 1st Viscount Keppel. However, the uniform has been identified as that of the 45th Regiment of Foot, a British Army regiment, thanks to the '45' on the button, and the epaulettes on the shoulder, worn by army officers at this time, but not adopted by naval officers until many years later.

We are grateful to Christopher Bryant for his identification of the uniform.

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