ALLAN RAMSAY (BRITISH 1713-1784) ADMIRAL BOSCAWEN (SON OF VISCOUNT FALMOUTH), ADMIRAL OF THE BLUE Oil on canvas 84.5 x 62cm (33¼ x 24¼ in.) Provenance: Commissioned by or given to Henry, 5th Duke of Beaufort (1744-1803), Badminton, by 1796, By descent at Badminton House until sold; Sotheby's, London, 15th July 1992, lot 28. Literature: British Museum Add MS 6391, f.554, listed 1796. (Musgrave). A. Smart, Allan Ramsay - A Complete Catalogue of His Paintings 1999 p. 81. Admiral The Hon. Edward Boscawen (1711-1761) was a distinguished British naval officer. Boscawen was the third son of Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth (1680-1734), and entered the Royal Navy at the age of 12. He rapidly ascended through the ranks, demonstrating his strategic acumen in important engagements during the War of Jenkins' Ear, the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War. Beyond his military achievements, Boscawen held political roles, serving as a Member of Parliament and later as a Lord of the Admiralty. This portrait of Admiral Boscawen is the half-length autograph version painted by Allan Ramsay in 1758. The full-length version, which includes a French flag and maritime fortifications in the background, was recorded by Sir William Musgrave, 6th Baronet Musgrave of Hayton, as hanging at Badminton House in the collection of the Dukes of Beaufort. Musgrave noted that it had been painted by Ramsay 'soon after the taking of Louisbourg, Aug.19. 1758.' This half-length version was likewise described by the antiquary and proto- art historian in 1796 at Badminton as 'Admiral Boscawen 3 qr. by Ramsay.' Admiral Boscawen's younger daughter Elizabeth married Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort in 1766. This portrait depicts the sitter in his resplendent blue and gold uniform as a Rear Admiral of the Blue, a rank to which he was promoted after near annihilating the French fleet at Finisterre in 1747. Perhaps the greatest portrait painter in the history of Scotland, Allan Ramsay also played an instrumental role in establishing a national identity for British art. His precise and sensitive portraiture earned him widespread acclaim, aided by his prodigious intellectualism - he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1743 - and social flair which integrated him with an elite stratum of patrons. Amongst his friends and correspondents, he counted David Hume, Adam Smith, Samuel Johnson, James Boswell, Voltaire, and Rousseau. Dr Johnson reflected that there was no man 'in whose conversation there is more instruction, more information, and more elegance, than in Ramsay's. His ascension to Principal Painter to the King in 1767 promoted him amongst a prestigious cohort which included Anthony van Dyck, Peter Lely, Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Lawrence. The present elegant portrait possesses all of the grace and naturalness of Ramsay's work, employing many of the distinctive techniques he had developed over his career. The short feathery brushstrokes are concentrated in the lighter areas, juxtaposing the looser shadows. This has the effect of giving the sitter a luminous concreteness and depth, notably emphasised here in the artist's trademark contrasting of the front of the wig in brilliant light and its ribbon in shadow behind.
ALLAN RAMSAY (BRITISH 1713-1784) ADMIRAL BOSCAWEN (SON OF VISCOUNT FALMOUTH), ADMIRAL OF THE BLUE Oil on canvas 84.5 x 62cm (33¼ x 24¼ in.) Provenance: Commissioned by or given to Henry, 5th Duke of Beaufort (1744-1803), Badminton, by 1796, By descent at Badminton House until sold; Sotheby's, London, 15th July 1992, lot 28. Literature: British Museum Add MS 6391, f.554, listed 1796. (Musgrave). A. Smart, Allan Ramsay - A Complete Catalogue of His Paintings 1999 p. 81. Admiral The Hon. Edward Boscawen (1711-1761) was a distinguished British naval officer. Boscawen was the third son of Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth (1680-1734), and entered the Royal Navy at the age of 12. He rapidly ascended through the ranks, demonstrating his strategic acumen in important engagements during the War of Jenkins' Ear, the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War. Beyond his military achievements, Boscawen held political roles, serving as a Member of Parliament and later as a Lord of the Admiralty. This portrait of Admiral Boscawen is the half-length autograph version painted by Allan Ramsay in 1758. The full-length version, which includes a French flag and maritime fortifications in the background, was recorded by Sir William Musgrave, 6th Baronet Musgrave of Hayton, as hanging at Badminton House in the collection of the Dukes of Beaufort. Musgrave noted that it had been painted by Ramsay 'soon after the taking of Louisbourg, Aug.19. 1758.' This half-length version was likewise described by the antiquary and proto- art historian in 1796 at Badminton as 'Admiral Boscawen 3 qr. by Ramsay.' Admiral Boscawen's younger daughter Elizabeth married Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort in 1766. This portrait depicts the sitter in his resplendent blue and gold uniform as a Rear Admiral of the Blue, a rank to which he was promoted after near annihilating the French fleet at Finisterre in 1747. Perhaps the greatest portrait painter in the history of Scotland, Allan Ramsay also played an instrumental role in establishing a national identity for British art. His precise and sensitive portraiture earned him widespread acclaim, aided by his prodigious intellectualism - he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1743 - and social flair which integrated him with an elite stratum of patrons. Amongst his friends and correspondents, he counted David Hume, Adam Smith, Samuel Johnson, James Boswell, Voltaire, and Rousseau. Dr Johnson reflected that there was no man 'in whose conversation there is more instruction, more information, and more elegance, than in Ramsay's. His ascension to Principal Painter to the King in 1767 promoted him amongst a prestigious cohort which included Anthony van Dyck, Peter Lely, Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Lawrence. The present elegant portrait possesses all of the grace and naturalness of Ramsay's work, employing many of the distinctive techniques he had developed over his career. The short feathery brushstrokes are concentrated in the lighter areas, juxtaposing the looser shadows. This has the effect of giving the sitter a luminous concreteness and depth, notably emphasised here in the artist's trademark contrasting of the front of the wig in brilliant light and its ribbon in shadow behind.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
