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Portrait of Major Richard Bayly 2018-284
Portrait of Captain Richard Bayly (?-1764)
Portrait of Major Richard Bayly 2018-284

Portrait of Captain Richard Bayly (?-1764)

Date1760-1761
Attributed to Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797)
OriginEngland, Derby
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFramed: 37 1/2" H x 32" W; approx unframed: 29 1/2" H x 24 1/2"W
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund
Object number2018-284,A&B
DescriptionPortrait of a man wearing a silver laced red coat of the 44th Regiment of Foot with its dark yellow lapels, cuffs and waistcoat. A beautiful silver shoulder knot, called an aiguillette, hangs from his right shoulder and his cocked hat is tucked under his left arm.

The carved gilt Maratta-style frame does not appear to be original to the portrait, yet is a good, 18th-century prototype from the period.
Label TextThis rare portrayal of a military officer who served in the French and Indian War depicts Captain Richard Bayly, an Irishman serving in America with Great Britain's 44th Regiment. Bayly arrived in Hampton, Virginia, with his regiment in late February 1755 before embarking for Pittsburgh where his unit partipated in the famed Braddock's Defeat. Bayly, along with George Washington, were amongst the few unwounded Anglo-American officers who fought in this disatrous battle.

Bayly was painted by the well-known British artist Joseph Wright of Derby between 1760 and 1761 after his return to Great Britain. He is portrayed in the uniform he wore on service in America. The artist records the commission among other portraits for around 1760. After Bayly's death in 1764, the painting was given to his sister and descended in her family until its recent acquisition by Colonial Williamsburg.

InscribedInscribed on the reverse of the stretcher: "B. Bayly Jan.r Picture of her/ Brother Richard Bayly Oct.r 1764."
ProvenanceThe portrait is inscribed on the reverse of the stretcher: "B. Bayly Jan.r Picture of her/ Brother Richard Bayly Oct.r 1764" indicating that after Bayly's death the painting was given to his sister. It is possible the painting descended in the sister's family before its consigment from a "private collector" to Sotheby's London, Old Masters Day Sale, December 6, 2018, CWF's source.