Artwork
Portrait of General Keith MacAlister
Portrait of General Keith MacAlister is an unspecified portrait miniature by the British Romanticist artist John Smart. It dates from 1805 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This portrait miniature depicts General Keith MacAlister in a detailed, oval-framed composition.
About this work
Artists like Smart painted them so people could carry loved ones’ faces in lockets or pockets.
You see a small, round portrait of a man in a red military coat with gold trim. His face is calm, his hair powdered white.
This painting is a miniature—tiny enough to hold in your hand. Artists like Smart painted them so people could carry loved ones’ faces in lockets or pockets. We don’t know if this was a final piece or a practice sketch, but Smart kept hundreds like it.
Look up other works in the subject: england, 18th century.
Overview
This portrait miniature depicts General Keith MacAlister in a detailed, oval-framed composition. The small, round painting is characteristic of the miniature portrait genre, popular in 18th-century England.
Subject & Meaning
MacAlister is shown in a three-quarter view, wearing a brown coat and a white cravat, with a rocky landscape in the background, possibly representing a significant location such as Seringapatam.
Technique & Style
The drawing is highly detailed and features a penciled tromp l'oeil frame, suggesting a level of finish beyond a typical preparatory sketch. The artist, John Smart, was known to retain many such drawings, which were later inherited by his descendants.
History & Provenance
The drawing was part of a large collection of preparatory sketches retained by John Smart and later inherited by his son and granddaughter, eventually being divided among her children upon her death in 1934.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Smart (1 May 1741 – 1 May 1811) was an English painter who specialised in portrait miniatures. He was a contemporary of Richard Cosway, George Engleheart, William Wood and Richard Crosse.
