About this lot

Description

Attributed to John Alexander (Scottish, 1686-c.1766) Portrait of Patrick Byres of Tonley (1713-1788), half-length, in a red jacket, with a tricorn hat under his arm oil on canvas, in a feigned oval 74 x 61cm (29 x 24in)
Provenance: By descent within the family of the sitter Other Notes: Patrick Byres of Tonley, an Irish-born Roman Catholic, whose family settled in Aberdeenshire circa 1716, married in 1733 Janet Moir whose brother Colonel James Moir was one of the most zealous of the Stewarts' adherents. Patrick Byres was a major in the Regiment raised by his brother-in-law but they both fled to France after the Battle of Culloden. Byres was after many years pardoned for his Jacobite support. The rather stylised way in which the sitter's coat was painted seems to be quite characteristic of Alexander's work from this period - see the Portrait of Cosmo George Gordon, the 3rd Duke of Gordon (1720-1752) in the collection of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. We are grateful to Dr Lucinda Lax for her suggested attribution to John Alexander based on comparison with that of the 3rd Duke of Gordon.
Oil on canvas which has been lined. There are losses along the top edge of the painting and in the sitter's hand. There are scuffs and scratches in the paint surface. There are areas of retouching in the red jacket and background. There are also a few retouchings in the sitter's face but these are minimal. The varnish is clear and semi-matte. There is wear and loss to the gilded surface of the frame.

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