The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Portrait of Sir John Macpherson, 1st Baronet, Governor-General of India
1787
(British, 1741–1811)
Image: 8.8 x 7.6 cm (3 7/16 x 3 in.); Sheet: 9.1 x 7.9 cm (3 9/16 x 3 1/8 in.); Secondary Support: 18.1 x 16 cm (7 1/8 x 6 5/16 in.)
Bequest of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1997.80
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
John Smart retained hundreds of sketches which were passed down in turn to his son, granddaughter, and great-grandchildren.Description
The sitter’s head and shoulders face left. He smiles slightly and has light blue eyes, with his powdered hair curled above the ear and tied en queue. He wears a green jacket edged in gold with gold buttons and dons a high white collar, a waistcoat, and a frilled cravat, each highlighted with white gouache. The nature of this work as a finisheddrawing rather than exclusively a preparatory sketch for a miniature on ivory is evident in the degree of finish of the sitter’s clothing, which is painted to the oval termination within a border of pale blue gouache. A Colnaghi label was removed from the verso after the work entered the museum’s collection.
Sir John Macpherson (1745–1821) was the son of a Scottish minister. His many tours of service with the East India Company were marred by corruption and scandal. He was made acting governor-general of India in 1785–86 between the resignation of Warren Hastings (1732–1818) and the succession by Lord Cornwallis (1738–1805). Macpherson
was created a baronet in 1786 when he was removed from office, returning to England shortly thereafter. He was an inveterate bachelor, popular in society for his handsomeness, charm, and facility with languages, but also known for his avarice and fraudulence.
The work is signed with Smart’s initials and dated “1787 Madras” at the lower right. Macpherson was no longer governor-general in 1787 and would have been preparing to return to England when this portrait was painted. The drawing is inscribed on the back in the artist’s hand: “a sketch of Sir John Macpherson painted at Madras, 1787, on his
passage from Bengall [sic] to England by Jno [sic] Smart.” Smart did not return to England until 1795, so the word passage must be defined as “on his journey” rather than “aboard ship.” At the time this portrait was taken, Macpherson was grappling with his premature removal from office and beginning to plot what would become many years of negotiations to regain his position or receive compensation for having lost it, though none of this emotional turmoil is visible in Smart’s portrait.
- Until 1811John Smart (1741-1811); by inheritance to his son John James Smart1811-70John James Smart (1805-1870); by inheritance to his daughter Mary Ann Bose1870-1934Mary Ann Bose (née Smart, 1856-1934).; by inheritance to her son William Henry Bose1934-37William Henry Bose (1875-1957), great-grandson of the artistFebruary 15, 1937Sale: Christie’s, London, February 15, 1937 (lot 43)after 1937Colnaghi, London, Englandbefore 1957Edward B. Greene (1878-1957, Cleveland); by inheritance to his daughter Helen Perryc. 1957-96Helen Perry (née Greene, 1911-1996, Cleveland).1996-97Estate of Mrs. A. Dean Perry (Helen Perry); gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art1997-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Christie, Manson & Woods. Sketches and Studies for Miniature Portraits by John Smart; Objects of Art & Vertu. London: Christie, Manson & Woods, 1937. lot 43Foskett, Daphne. John Smart: the Man and His Miniatures. [London]: Cory, Adams & Mackay, 1964. pp. 19, 70, 84Korkow, Cory, and Jon L. Seydl. British Portrait Miniatures: The Cleveland Museum of Art. 2013. Cat. no. 48, pp. 196-198
- {{cite web|title=Portrait of Sir John Macpherson, 1st Baronet, Governor-General of India|url=false|author=John I Smart|year=1787|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1997.80