1842
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Captain the Hon. Arthur Duncombe, R.N., as a nobleman of the 14th century is a 1842 watercolor by Coke Smyth, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This drawing shows a man dressed like a knight from the 1300s. He’s wearing a black hat, a dark tunic with white sleeves, and tight black pants. One hand rests on his belt, and he’s holding a folded cloth in the other. His shoes are simple and dark, and the background is just a plain, light gray. The artist dressed him up to look like someone from the past, even though this was drawn in 1842. The loose, sketchy lines make it feel quick and lively, not stiff. Look up Coke Smyth to see more of his playful, historical drawings.
The artwork is a watercolor portrait titled *Captain the Hon. Arthur Duncombe, R.N., as a nobleman of the 14th century*, created by Coke Smyth in 1842. It is part of an album of 40 costume drawings from a masked ball held at Buckingham Palace on May 12, 1842, commissioned by Queen Victoria. The album consists of 42 pages of white wove paper, bound in red morocco with gold tooling and the artist's name on the cover. Acquired in 1940, the sketches document historical dress at the event.
Read the full account in the museum source.
John Richard Coke Smyth (1808–1882) was a British artist and traveller. Smyth produced a few collections of prints from his travels. A few works arose out of a visit to Constantinople where he collaborated with the…
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