Blushing in Claret

Traditionally known as Mr Rush, this rosy-cheeked gentleman is richly turned out in a claret coat over a matching waistcoat, white stock and frilled chemise. Painted with the soft brushwork that is associated with Rouquet, the style of his coat indicates that the portrait was painted around 1750 towards the end of the artist’s 30-year stay in London. Enamel on copper set in the original silver frame with scrolled cresting.

Born to French parents in Geneva in 1701, Jean André Rouquet came to England during the 1720s. He counted Garrick, Hogarth and Foote amongst his friends. Rouquet moved to France in 1753 and worked from a studio in the Louvre. He died in an asylum in 1758. His enamels are critically well acclaimed and are well-represented in museum collections.