About this lot

Description

Portrait of the Reverend Thomas Brent (1758-?) half-length, in the uniform of the South Devon Militia, in a feigned painted oval inscribed 'Portrait of the Rev.d Tom.s Brent / painted by J.s Northcote. 1781' (on the canvas to the reverse)oil on canvas75 x 63cmFootnote: Born in Plymouth on 13th January 1758, Thomas Brent was educated at Balliol and Oriel College, Oxford. He served as a Lieutenant in the South Devon Militia from 5th September 1778. He was ordained a deacon in 1781 and a priest in 1782 in Exeter. Brent is later recorded as a chaplain in the 57th Foot from 27th July 1785 onward.We are grateful to Christopher Bryant for confirming the identity and the military career of the sitter.Condition report: Oil on canvas which is unlined. The canvas tension is slack and there are some undulations at the corners. Stretcher bar marks have formed in the canvas and paint layers where the canvas rests against the wooden stretcher behind. There are several small tears in the canvas with associated paint loss. At the two upper corner are circular nail holes. Paint losses are located around the edge of the painting, notable at the lower right corner. Other areas of the painting are stable and secure including the sitter’s face. The varnish has degraded and is caught in the texture of the brush work and giving the sitter’s face a slightly mottled appearance. There is significant surface dirt across the painting including white insect droppings in the upper half.

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