Eleanor Francis Grant of Arndilly

Apart from having a fabulous name, Tilly Kettle (1735-circa 1786) led a fantastic life, much of which was spent in India, where he was a much... more

by Tilly Kettle

Title

Eleanor Francis Grant of Arndilly

Artist

Tilly Kettle

Medium

Painting - Print On Paper

Description

Apart from having a fabulous name, Tilly Kettle (1735-circa 1786) led a fantastic life, much of which was spent in India, where he was a much in-demand portrait painter. Things did not work out so well on his return to London, where he married a spendthrift wife and fell into debt. In 1786, he set out to return to India overland through Asia but whether he managed to get there remains a mystery. He painted his last portrait in Aleppo, in Syria, but what happened to him after that is not known. This portrait of Eleanor Francis Grant shows what a brilliant portraitist he was - astounding technique matched with the ability to capture areal sense of 'presence' - and I love that languid pose!

Uploaded

April 30th, 2015