Portrait of a Man

Dateca. 1750

Possibly by Cosmo John Alexander ca. 1724 - 1772

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsOH: 30 1/2 in.; OW: 24 in.

Credit LineGift of John A. and Judith C. Herdeg

Object number2018-327

DescriptionPortrait of a man in a blue coat. He is using his left hand to rest a red book on a table.
Label TextCosmo John Alexander was born in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1724 to John Alexander and his wife, Isobel Innes. Cosmo's father was also an artist, having studied in Rome before returning to Aberdeen. Cosmo was a fervent Jacobite and following the failed 1745 rebellion fled to Rome where many of his patrons were also exiled Jacobites who had followed Prince Charles to Italy. He remained in Rome until at least 1751, when he spent a few years traveling around Italy and France. In 1754 he moved to London where he had been named heir to James Gibbs, the well-known architect. Cosmo inherited his home in London and used it as a hub from 1754 until 1765. During those years he traveled frequently between London, Scotland and at least one trip to the Netherlands in 1763. From 1765 to 1771 he traveled throughout the American colonies, where he met Gilbert Stuart who became his student and traveled with Cosmo when he returned to Edinburgh in 1772.

While the sitters in this group of family portraits have yet to be identified, they were likely painted in Scotland during two separate trips. The parents are both wearing clothing that would have been fashionable about 1750 and are fitted with matching frames. The children on the other hand, wear ensembles that date to about 1760 and while their frames match one another and are very similar to their parents’ frames, they are slightly different. It seems that Alexander painted the parents on an earlier trip and while back in Scotland a decade later painted their children.
ProvenancePurchase at Christie's New York in 1987 by the previous owner who gifted the painting to Colonial Williamsburg.