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Portrait of William Wheatley, at the age of fourteen



Date:
1786-01 - 1786
Object Number:
TN.2009.673
Creator
Francis Alleyne (artist)
Material
oil on canvas
Size
53 x 45 cm Oval image: 36.5 x 28.5
Object name
painting
Object category
pictures

Description

Three quarter length, three quarter turned portrait of a boy with shoulder length brown hair wearing a brown frock coat holding a bat over his right shoulder and three stumps in his left hand. Painted on an oval canvas.
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Display caption

Portrait of William Wheatley, at the age of fourteen, 1786 Francis Alleyne (1750-1815) Oil on canvas As cricket became more respectable during the latter part of the 18th century, it became fashionable for the children of noble families to be depicted in cricket-themed portraits. The Wheatley family lived at Erith in Kent. Young William attended Charterhouse School and later joined the 1st Foot Guards, rising to the rank of Major-General before dying of a fever at Madrid while serving under Wellington in the Peninsular Wars. Wheatley is depicted wearing a brown frock coat in the classical cricket portrait style, denoting high status, with a bat over shoulder and three stumps in his left hand. Francis Alleyne was an itinerant portrait painter who travelled around England visiting country houses and painting family portraits between 1774 and 1790. Many examples of his work can still be seen in family collections; this small, oval three-quarter length portrait is typical of his style. MCC Collections: Bequest of Sir Jeremiah Colman, 1942 TN.2009.673
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Association:
William Wheatley (sitter) 1786-01
Francis Alleyne (artist) 1786-01