The Local Militia

Shown in half-length, this unnamed officer in a powdered wig tied en queue with black ribbon, is shown wearing a scarlet coat with green facings, gold buttons and braid with a matching scarlet waistcoat, a tricorn hat tucked under his arm. With two stripes on his coat, he is most likely an officer in his local militia.

The artist’s name, Nathaniel Dance Holland, is inscribed in pencil on the reverse. Oil on copper within a feigned oval, the portrait is housed in a period giltwood frame.

Born in 1735, Nathaniel Dance studied art under Francis Hayman before travelling to work in Italy. Following a romantic interlude with Angelica Kauffmann, he returned to London in 1765 where he established a successful portrait studio. At some point he benefitted from a generous inheritance whereupon he added ‘Holland’ to his name and became less prolific stepping back from the art world in 1790.