General Sir William Maxwell

Henry Raeburn employed a meticulous brushwork to capture the texture of the red coat and the metallic sheen of the buttons and sword. The dark, undefined background serves to focus attention on the figure, a common device in his portraiture. Light falls across the face and uniform, creating subtle modeling that highlights the subject’s features without excessive ornamentation.

The painting was executed by Scottish portraitist Henry Raeburn, who held the appointment of Portrait Painter to King George IV in Scotland. After remaining in private hands for much of its early history, the work entered the collection of the São Paulo Museum of Art, where it is currently displayed as part of the museum’s European paintings holdings.