41 / 260
28
Tilly Kettle (1735-1786)
GENTLEMAN, HALF LENGTH, WEARING RED SLASHED VAN DYCK COSTUME
oil on canvas
with label on reverse relating to previous owner
29_ x 23_in. (74.30 x 60.33cm)
Provenance: By descent in the Willes family;Sotheby’s, 24 November 1999, lot 52;Private collection
Tilly Kettle - best-known for his Indian portraits - was a London born English artist who visited Ireland in the late
18th century. Kettle painted the face of architect James Gandon (1743-1823) c.1786-c.1796 in a large portrait in the
collection of the National Gallery of Ireland (NGI.1783). The remainder of the picture was completed by William Cuming,
an accomplished Irish artist, who depicted Gandon on the roof of the Parliament House (now the Bank of Ireland) in
College Green, Dublin holding architectural plans, including those of the Four Courts. Kettle first entered the professional
portrait arena in the 1750s following his studies with William Shipley in the Strand. He was the first prominent English
portrait painter to operate in India. He first sailed there with the British East India Company in 1768 and painted several
works in various parts of the country. In 1776 he returned to London and married, however imprudent financial
decisions and a decline in clientele provoked a return to India in 1786. This journey was undertaken overland. His last
recorded portrait was at Aleppo.
€8,000-€12,000 (£5880-£8820 approx. approx.)
Large Image & Place Bid Lot 28IRISH & INTERNATIONAL ART · 28 SEPTEMBER 2015