Angelica Kauffmann, (Coire 1740-1807 Rome)

Portrait of General James Masterson MP., bust-length, in a red coat and buff waistcoat, within a painted oval

Portrait of General James Masterson MP., bust-length, in a red coat and buff waistcoat, within a painted oval
oil on canvas
76.2 x 63.5cm (30 x 25in).

Provenance
Ruth Klein Stone (1931-2003), New York, and by descent, from whom acquired by the vendor of
Sale, Sotheby's, London, 4 December 2019, lot 199, where purchased post-sale by the present owner

We are grateful to Dr. Bettina Baumgärtel and Prof. Wendy Roworth for confirming the attribution to Angelica Kauffmann on the basis of digital photographs.

James Masterson was the son of an Edinburgh Merchant, and in 1742 he was recorded as a Lieutenant in the 1st Regiment of the Foot Guards. After serving with the Hanoverian army at the Battle of Falkirk in 1746, he became an aide-de-camp and confidant to Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1765). By 1761 Masterson had risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and became Deputy Adjutant-General for Ireland. His military career continued to flourish, as he went on to serve with the Duke of Cumberland in Portugal and Germany during the Seven Years War. Masterson was to retire from Cumberland's staff in 1762 with the rank of General, and continued a political career as MP for Stirling Burghs in 1768. After his subsequent electoral defeat Masterson was to reside in London at 4 Sackville Street and died unmarried on 7 August 1777.