An Officer of the 5th Battalion of the 'Royal Americans' or 60th Regiment of Foot, c. 1803.
Watercolor on card, 2 3/4 x 2 1/4 inches (view) within gilded brass mat inside original, carved, oval frame (4 7/8 x 4 1/8 in. overall). Portrait of an unidentified officer of the elite 5th Battalion of the 60th or "Royal American" Regiment of Foot, circa 1803. He wears the distinctive dark green, faced red uniform of that elite, rifle-armed corps as it appeared when first arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia from the Isle of Wight in 1803. The 5th Battalion was formed on Barbados in 1797 from the remnants of foreign corps (mostly German riflemen and light infantry, including the Hompesch Chasseurs) that had earlier fought in the Santo Domingo Expedition. In 1808 they returned to Europe and fought with great distinction in the Peninsula during 1808-1814 and at Waterloo in 1815. Sir Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington, recommended them to his subordinate generals, describing them as the "most useful, active and brave troops in the field". Charles Buncombe was one of the most talented British profile artists of the late 18th century and was working on the Isle of Wight during the 1790s-early 1800s, where he painted numerous British military and naval officers then stationed there. His works are highly desired by collectors of both military uniforms and profiles alike. Item #102
Price: $1,250.00