PHILIP REINAGLE R.A. | Portrait of Colonel Thomas Thornton (1757 - 1823), Marquess du Pont, hunting with his greyhound Major and a hooded falcon, a landscape beyond

Almost certainly commissioned from Reinagle by Thornton, Thornville Royal, Yorkshire;
Probably, his sale, London, St. James Gallery, June 1819;
Rt. Hon. Viscount Ullswater, G.C.B.;
His sale, London, Sotheby's, 23 April 1941, lot 151, to Backhouse;
Winston Frederick Churchill Guest, London and New York, circa 1945;
Thence by descent to the present owner. 

The canvas is lined. The paint surface is well preserved and stable, with a fine web of craquelure present throughout. Slight warping to the canvas is visible at the top left edge. Minor frame abrasions are visible to the naked eye at the bottom left and top right edges. The portrait image reads well with bold colors and small details and textures preserved. Under UV inspection, minor retouching is visible at the left edge in response to frame abrasion, at the upper right corner in the sky, around the falcon's head, and a concentrated area of the gentleman's right cheek. Retouching is not visible on the majority of the figure. Overall and consider its size, the painting is in very good condition and can hang as is. Offered in a decoratively carved gilt wood frame with scattered small losses and scuffs and a nameplate identifying the sitter and artist.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Thomas Thornton, self-styled Prince of Chambord and Marquess du Pont, was a talented and flamboyant sportsman who helped reinvent the practice of falconry. He is seen here resting under a tree during a hunt with his greyhound and a beautifully rendered hooded falcon. Thornton was legendary during his lifetime not only for his achievements in field sports, but also for his expansive estate, raucous parties, art collection, political connections, and series of mistresses. Thornton posed for Scottish portraitist and sporting artist Philip Reinagle on more than one occasion, often with his animals, who were famous in their own right for their breeding and skills. The dog Major, who appears at Thornton's knee, fathered a celebrated line of greyhounds, and undoubtedly the falcon on Thornton's arm is one of the three praised in his obituary—Sans Quartier, Death, or Devil.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Thornton was a Lieutenant Colonel in the West York Militia, but a dispute with his men in 1794 led to his court martial and resignation, which Thornton recounted in a pamphlet. He sought the advice of Napoleon Bonaparte on the matter during two trips to France in 1800 and 1802. In A Sporting Tour Through France, Thornton recalls that Bonaparte admired the medal he wears in this portrait, inscribed THE TRIUMPH OF TRUTH, which had been a gift from his soldiers before their mutiny.

In addition to Thornville estate in Yorkshire, Thornton purchased two other country estates, one of which exclusively for falconry, and spent almost two decades on Scottish expeditions, chronicled in A Sporting Tour through the Highlands of Scotland. At his lavish parties, the sitter earned his reputation as a “six-bottle man” and displayed his collection of sporting art by Reinagle alongside European masters including Guido Reni and Rubens. In 1819, Thornton was forced to sell his collection, probably including the present lot, in order to settle the debts he had accrued from his extravagant, adventurous lifestyle.¹

1. For biographical details, see P. Egan, Pierce Egan's Book of Sports and Mirror of Life. Embracing the turf, the chase, the ring, and the stage, interspersed with original memoirs of sporting men, etc., London 1836, pp. 131-5.