This characterful mid-19th-century English oil painting depicts a smartly attired gentleman wearing a black tailcoat, white shirt with an upstanding collar, black waistcoat and black stock. His hair is styled in a deliberately nonchalant fashion to convey the spirit of a country gent with outdoor pursuits.
The portrait was acquired from Old Came Rectory in Dorset - the home of the Reverend William England. It was known as a popular haunt for various writers and poets, including Thomas Hardy, Alfred Tennyson, and Siegfried Sassoon. The identity of the sitter is unknown but he bears a little resemblance to Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte (1813-1891), the French philologist. Louis Lucien was Emperor Napoleon''s nephew and is known to have visited the rectory.
Held within a gilt frame.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 26” x 30½” / 66cm x 78cm
Year of creation: c. 1840
Provenance: Old Came Rectory, Dorset.
Condition: Cleaned. Craquelure throughout but the paint is stable. Canvas relined. Later stretcher. Frame with some light wear.
Our reference: BRV1932
Antique Number: SA1096337
Dateline of this antique is 19th Century
Height is 78cm (30.7inches)
Width is 66cm (26.0inches)
Depth is 5cm (2.0inches)
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