Artwork
Portrait of General Keith MacAlister
Portrait of General Keith MacAlister is an unspecified portrait miniature by the British Romanticist artist John I Smart. It dates from 1805 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This portrait miniature depicts General Keith MacAlister in a detailed, oval-framed composition.
- Accession no.
- 1997.77
- Credit line
- Bequest of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
About this work
Artists like Smart painted them so people could carry loved ones’ faces in lockets or pockets.
You see a small, round portrait of a man in a red military coat with gold trim. His face is calm, his hair powdered white.
This painting is a miniature, tiny enough to hold in your hand. Artists like Smart painted them so people could carry loved ones’ faces in lockets or pockets. We don’t know if this was a final piece or a practice sketch, but Smart kept hundreds like it.
Look up other works in the subject: england, 18th century.
Overview
This portrait miniature depicts General Keith MacAlister in a detailed, oval-framed composition. The small, round painting is characteristic of the miniature portrait genre, popular in 18th-century England.
Subject & Meaning
MacAlister is shown in a three-quarter view, wearing a brown coat and a white cravat, with a rocky landscape in the background, possibly representing a significant location such as Seringapatam.
Technique & Style
The drawing is highly detailed and features a penciled tromp l'oeil frame, suggesting a level of finish beyond a typical preparatory sketch. The artist, John Smart, was known to retain many such drawings, which were later inherited by his descendants.
History & Provenance
The drawing was part of a large collection of preparatory sketches retained by John Smart and later inherited by his son and granddaughter, eventually being divided among her children upon her death in 1934.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Smart (1 May 1741 – 1 May 1811) was an English painter who specialised in portrait miniatures. He was a contemporary of Richard Cosway, George Engleheart, William Wood and Richard Crosse.
