English: Francis Cotes, R.A. (London 1726-1770)

Portrait of Captain Collingwood Roddam (1734-1806), half-length, in a red coat

oil on canvas

30 1⁄4 x 25 in. (76.5 x 63.3 cm.)

This portrait of Captain Collingwood Roddam caused a stir when it reappeared on the art market in 1931, featuring on the cover of Art News and in articles published in Art in America and Antiques in that same year. Francis Cotes depicts the young Captain Collingwood Roddam, brother of the decorated British Admiral Robert Roddam, in his East India Company uniform. The portrait is dated circa 1760 (Keyes, op. cit.), around the time the young officer set sail on the East Indiaman Countess of Harcourt to Bombay. The ship traded at Indian ports under Roddam’s command until its Company charter expired, and it returned to the service of the Royal Navy transporting prisoners to Australia.

Cotes trained first as a painter of pastels under George Knapton before setting up his own studio in his father’s apothecary. His work with pastels informed his later use of oils. Cotes employed strong whites in the highlights and blues in the shadows, imbuing his sitters with a distinctive appearance, as seen in the present portrait (Keyes, op. cit., p. 219). This portrait was completed at the height of Cotes’ popularity. It was around this time that he became a founding member of the Royal Academy. Unfortunately, his career came to an early end when he died at the age of 44 due to the adverse effects of an experimental medical treatment.