22 ARTHUR DEVIS (1711-1787) Continued
Portrait of William Henry, 4th Marquis of Lothian with a companion his brother. Lord Robert Kerr
portrait
Portrait of Lord Robert Kerr signed and dated 1741 lower left; and both portraits inscribed with the identity of the sitter on the reverse of the canvas Oil on canvas Unframed: 1 8 x 1 1 in / 46 x 28 cm Framed: 2374 x 17 in / 58.5 x 43.2 cm In carved and giltwood frames
PROVENANCE By descent in the Cuppage family until bequeathed around 1920 to the father of the last owner Colonel A.P. Daniell of Shropshire. It is thought that the paintings may have been acquired by the Cuppage family from the Kerrs in the mid-nineteenth century when both families had adjacent Grace and Favour houses at Hampton Court Palace.
Arthur Devis belonged to a dynasty of artists, although he is arguably the most well known and admired of them today. A pupil of Peter Tillemans, Devis' work obviously shows a debt to his mentor but the young artist had a very distinctive style of his own. The almost doll like physiognomy of his figures derives from his use of small figurines in his studio when he was working on the poses of his subjects. The artist would dress these lay figures in little suits and dresses and could therefore complete a painting without the subject having to be present. The Harris Museum in Devis' hometown of Preston, Lancashire owns the collection of the artist's lay figures. Well-known for his conversation pieces, Devis' full-length portraits of single figures are particularly elegant. In around 1741 the portrait painter was commissioned to paint William Henry, 4th Marquis of Lothian and his brother Lord Robert Kerr William Henry Kerr, Lord Ancrum, was the eldest son of William Kerr, later 3rd Marquis of Lothian, and his wife, Margaret (nee Nicholson) from Kempney In 1741 William Henry was a captain in the 1st Regiment of Foot-Guards, more famously known as the Grenadier Guards. He acted as aide-de-camp to the Duke of Cumberland; at Fontenoy in 1745 he received a severe head wound. Along with his brother he fought at the Battle of Culloden where he commanded the cavalry of the extreme left of the Loyalist line. On the death of his grandfather. Lord Mark Kerr, William Henry was promoted to the Colonelcy of Lord Mark's regiment, the 11th Dragoon Guards. He was subsequently Member of Parliament for Richmond between 1747 and 1763; made Representative Peer for Scotland in 1768 and General of the Army in 1770. In 1735 William Henry married Caroline, daughter of the Earl of Holderness. He died in 1775.
62
Arthur Devis, Unknown
Officer standing by a Cannon (Formerly 12th Lord Home, the Hirsel. until 1919).
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