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Notes
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A three-quarter-length portrait showing the sitter turned half to viewer's right, in the flag officer's full-dress uniform of 1767–1783 and apparently wearing his own hair dressed and powdered. His right hand is on his sword and his left is in a relaxed palm-up conversational gesture lower right against the rather sombre sky background of the canvas. This portrait has been the subject of long confusion, not yet entirely resolved. It was originally acquired in 1935 as an unnamed flag officer and subsequently identified, though on unclear grounds, as Sir Chaloner Ogle, Admiral of the Red and 1st Baronet of Martyr Worthy, by George Romney. This has now been cast into doubt by a half-length portrait by Romney (in the Metropolitan Museum, New York since 1953) of another naval officer of the same name and in the same uniform but of very different looks.
While commanding the 'Resolution' 74 guns in 1780, Ogle formed part of Rodney's fleet to relieve Gibraltar and was present at the Moonlight Battle off Cape St Vincent against the Spanish fleet which followed shortly afterwards. He returned to England with the prizes but then followed Rodney to the West Indies as Commodore, before becoming rear-admiral later in the year and returned again to England. With the end of the American War in 1783 there was no further employment for him, or when the French wars began in 1793 – by which time he was in his early 60s. At his death he had risen by list promotions to senior Admiral of the Red, but had never flown his flag in a fleet command.
Title
A Flag Officer, Previously Thought to be Sir Chaloner Ogle (1729–1816), Admiral of the Red
Date
1767–1783
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 91.5 x W 71 cm
Accession number
BHC2919
Work type
Painting
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