2 results found

 
 
REYNOLDS, Samuel William (1773-1835) after A.W. DEVIS (1762-1822)

[George Harris, 1st Baron Harris]

London: Published by Colnaghi, 1824. Mezzotint. Proof before letters. Alternate state i/ii, before letters. In excellent condition apart from some light foxing in the margins. Image size: 11 3/4 x 9 7/8 inches. Plate mark: 13 7/8 x 10 inches. Sheet size: 14 3/4 x 10 3/4 inches.

A lovely rich impression of S.W Reynolds' mezzotint portrait of General George Harris, who was wounded in the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Lord Harris (1746- 1829), a distinguished British General, participated in most of the major engagements during the American revolution and made a name for himself in India with the defeat of Tippo Sahib and the capture of Seringapatam. Harris fought in Lexington and at the battle of Bunkers Hill, where he received a serious wound to the head. When he returned to active duty in 1776 he was present at every major engagement of the revolution until he left for St. Lucia in 1778. In 1780, Harris was sent to India where he participated in the war against Tippo Sahib, eventually being appointed commandant of Fort William. A valiant soldier and excellent leader, Harris was highly esteemed in his day for his altruistic personality. He is said to have lent his military prize money, at considerable personal loss, to the Madras government when they were in financial straits. He was created a Peer in 1815.

Whitman, Samuel William Reynolds 134, not described; O'Donoghue, Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits... in the British Museum 2; Lennox-Boyd & Stogdon, state not described.

#8097$450.00
 
 
REYNOLDS, Samuel William after G.C. CHINNERY

The Honourable Sir Henry Russell, Bart, Chief Justice of Bengal

circa 1820. Mezzotint. In excellent condition apart from some overall light soiling in the margins and a skillfully mended tear in the upper right margin outside the plate mark. Image size: 24 1/4 x 17 7/8 inches. Plate mark: 25 13/16 x 18 1/16 inches. Sheet size: 29 5/16 x 20 5/8 inches.

A dramatic portrait of Sir Henry Russell by the renowned orientalist painter George Chinnery.

This is a wonderful portrait of Sir Henry Russell by the celebrated English artist George Chinnery. Henry Russell became an esteemed judicator in India where he was noted for his pursuance of justice and equality. Russell earned his unimpeachable reputation when he sentenced an English cadet to death for maliciously burning down a local inhabitant's hut. In pronouncing his judgment, Russell declared, "the natives are entitled to have their character, property, and lives protected; and as long as they enjoy that privilege from us, they give their affection and allegiance in return'. With this judgment Russell established a precedence in Indian legislation that deemed both Englishman and Indian equal under the law. This commanding portrait was commissioned from Chinnery by the local inhabitants of Calcutta, as a mark of admiration for this remarkable man who saw equality and justice above country and race. Chinnery painted a number of portraits while abroad, such as this one of Sir Russell, but he is best remembered for the large number of landscapes and decorative studies he made of oriental scenes in China and India. He developed a calligraphic style in his rapid sketches of local life that show him to have been one of the most visually perceptive of all European artists who travelled and worked in the East. (DNB)

O'Donoghue, Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits... in the British Museum 1

#7914$1,400.00
 
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