THE WINTER CHATSWORTH FINE ART & ANTIQUE SALE December 3rd & 4th, 2025

94 IMPERFECTIONS NOT STATED Fonsie Mealy’s Est. 1934 Portrait of Colonel Keatinge ‘The Wild Goose’, of Fitzjames’s Cavalry c. 1690,”O.O.C., approx. 127cms x 102cms (50” x 40”). (1) Depicting a military officer dressed in a full wig, embroidered vest and red coat, this three-quarter length portrait has strong family connections with counties Kilkenny and Kildare. Reliable family tradition identifies the sitter as ‘Colonel Keatinge of Fitzjames’s Cavalry’. Keatinge was one of the ‘Wild Geese’—Irish aristocratic soldiers who served in the armies of France and Austria. Named after the Grand Prior of the Knights of Malta and comprised mainly of Irish Catholic soldiers, the Fitzjames Regiment fought against William of Orange; it later transferred to France, where it was known as the Irish Brigade. After serving at the Battle of Culloden in Scotland in 1745, surviving members returned to France, where the regiment was eventually absorbed into the French army. The identification of Colonel Keatinge as an officer of Fitzjames’s Cavalry is supported by details such as his gold-embroidered red coat with blue cuffs and facings, and the black-painted breastplate and metal gorget on which he rests his hand. In the background can be seen a troop of mounted cavalry engaged in a battle. A horse and rider lie on the ground, while other riders charge against a line of infantry. The artistic quality of this work is high, with skillful handling of paint rendering the different textures of lace, gold embroidery and powdered wig. The pose is elegant and although his face is expressionless, a sense of strong character and a steady gaze are evident in this work. The portrait of Colonel Keatinge has in the past been attributed to Philip Hussey (1713-1783). The attribution is tenable, as there is a similar portrait by Hussey, in Florence Court, Co. Fermanagh, depicting an officer of the 3rd Irish Horse. However the elaborate gold-embroidered waistcoat and redcoat in the Keatinge portrait seems more typical of late seventeenth century, and this work might well date to around 1689, the year in which the Fitzjames regimen was first raised by James II. A tentative attribution therefore can be made to Garret Morphy, an artist born around 1665, who painted several members of Catholic families in Ireland. Comparable portraits by Morphy include Oliver Plunkett --where the embroidery is similar to the present work-- Brigidier General William Wolseley and Sir Edward Villiers. Born in Yorkshire, into a Catholic family, Morphy trained in London with Edmund Ashfield, an artist who in turn had been assistant to John Michael Wright. Morphy then worked in Ireland for extended periods, where he enjoyed the patronage of leading Catholic aristocratic families, including the Nettervilles, Talbots, Molyneuxes and O’Neills. Peter Murray 2025 €7,000 - €10,000 869 Garret Morphy (c.1655-1716) (attributed to)