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Colonel Tarleton

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Reynolds portrays Banastre Tarleton (1754–1833) aged 27, in action as commandant of the British Legion cavalry in the War of American Independence. Tarleton was famed for his reckless bravery and savagery, as well as for his vanity. He later became MP for Liverpool and defended the slave trade, on which his family’s fortune had been founded. He was made a general in 1812 and a baronet in 1816.

Reynolds portrays Tarleton momentarily dismounted on a battlefield, with gun-smoke swirling behind him. Wearing the uniform of the British Legion, he props one leg up on a cannon to re-fix his sword to his belt before changing horses. Reynolds frequently drew on ideas from old master paintings, drawings and antique sculpture for his compositions. Tarleton’s pose appears to be based on works by Rembrandt, Tintoretto and an ancient Roman sculpture of Hermes.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Colonel Tarleton

Date

1782

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 236 x W 145.5 cm

Accession number

NG5985

Acquisition method

Bequeathed by Mrs Henrietta Charlotte Tarleton, 1951

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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