19 - John SIMPSON (1782–1847), attributed to.

John SIMPSON (1782–1847), attributed to. Portrait of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769–1852). Oil on canvas. Circa 1830. In a Louis XIV-style wooden frame with gilded stucco. H. 127 x W. 102 cm. Frame H. 146.5 x W. 123 cm. Provenance - Collection of Chester D. Tripp (1882–1974), a mining engineer and metallurgist who served as chairman of the Consolidated Coppermines Corporation. Based in Chicago, he was a generous collector and patron: his donations enriched the Art Institute of Chicago, the Oriental Institute, the Evansville Museum, and Yale University, where a history chair bears his name. - Yale University Art Gallery Collection, from 1975 until its sale in 2026; former inventory number 1975.68. History Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769–1852), was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Great Britain. After a distinguished career in the British Army—first in India and then on the Iberian Peninsula, where he distinguished himself against Napoleon’s armies—he owed his fame to his victorious opposition to Napoleon, before making his mark on the political scene. He served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom—from 1828 to 1830 and then briefly in 1834—and also held the position of Commander-in-Chief of the British Army from 1842 until his death. Although frequently portrayed by the painters of his time, the Duke of Wellington remains a rarity on the art market. Most often commissioned by British aristocrats or institutions, his portraits are now preserved primarily in prestigious public and private collections. This rarity—particularly evident in large-scale works, such as our painting, whose dimensions suggest a prestigious commission—explains the enthusiasm among collectors whenever a portrait of the duke comes up for sale. A prime example is a painting of Wellington by Thomas Lawrence, offered at Christie’s in June 2026 and sold for £9,670,000, thereby setting the artist’s sales record (ill. 1). In addition to its remarkable dimensions, the iconography of our painting also points to a prestigious provenance and a commission intended to celebrate the duke as a national hero. An Iconography Celebrating Waterloo The Duke of Wellington led a brilliant political and military career, the pinnacle of which remains the victory at Waterloo. Fought in present-day Belgium on June 18, 1815, this decisive battle permanently altered the course of European history by bringing about Napoleon’s definitive downfall and the end of the First Empire. To celebrate the man now regarded as the savior of the kingdom, British artists developed a heroic iconography based on attributes directly associated with that day. Foremost among these is the famous coat that the duke wore on June 18. Known for the simplicity of his attire, Wellington is almost always depicted wearing it. According to tradition, this coat is said to have protected him from the storm that swept across the battlefield on the night of June 17–18. The bicorne, recognizable by its plume of red and white swan feathers, is the second recurring element. It likely evokes the moment when Wellington, determined to launch the final assault on the Waterloo plain, raised his hat to signal his troops to advance. Finally, the most iconic element remains the spyglass, which many accounts of the battle describe as inseparable from his command. The duke himself is said to have helped shape this iconography: when Thomas Lawrence began his portrait in 1827, he reportedly considered depicting him holding a watch. Wellington is said to have objected, arguing that it was more accurate to paint him holding his spyglass, since he had not spent the battle waiting, but rather observing the enemy and directing his troops’ movements. These attributes appear, either individually or in combination, in numerous portraits of the victor of Waterloo. Their presence together in the work presented here leaves no doubt as to the painter’s intention to place his subject within the heroic iconography shaped in the wake of the 1815 campaign. The same formula is found in several compositions by Thomas Lawrence, in which the cloak, hat, and spyglass all contribute to the same glorification of the national hero. A portrait attributed to John Simpson, a student of Lawrence This work should be compared to a painting with a similar composition, held at the Baroda Museum and cataloged as a portrait by Thomas Lawrence (ill. 2). This work was part of the collection of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda (1863–1939). Eager to build a m