Saturday, June 21, 2014

Masterpiece of the Week: Bannalist and Pandour, 'Freikorps Trenck', 1748



Bannalist and Pandour
David Morier, 1748
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II




Created by David Morier (1705?-1770), this work of oil on canvas was commissioned by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1765). David Morier was a celebrated Swiss painter, known for his military and sporting scenes. 

Morier had a long association with the Duke of Cumberland, starting in 1747, when he painted a group of canvases of the troops under the Duke’s command. Until 1764, Morier was employed as “limner” (or painter) to the Duke of Cumberland on an annual salary of £100. The painting depicts two soldiers facing the viewer. They are posed in front of a flat, open landscape, holding rifles in their right hands. The one on the right is wearing a scarlet uniform, while the one on the left is clad in blue with red boots. 


No comments: