612 - Tilly Kettle

Tilly Kettle 1735 London – 1786 Aleppo, Syria – Three-quarter-length portrait of a gentleman - Oil on canvas, mounted. 124 x 100 cm. 148 x 124 cm (dimensions including frame). Framed. Some restoration. Margins show slight loss of paint. - Provenance: Private collection, Germany (Christie’s London auction, September 14, 2021, Lot 76). The English portrait painter Tilly Kettle (1735–1786) ranks among the most significant British artists of the 18th century. He was the first English painter to work in British India and gained renown particularly for his stately portraits. This painting depicts a gentleman in a three-quarter-length portrait, dressed in a beige jacket and a striped vest, accompanied by a greyhound. This large-scale depiction corresponds to the representative portrait style of 18th-century England. The greyhound complements the elegant composition of the subject while also alluding to his social circle and way of life.