Sir John Gaspard Le Marchant (1803-1874) British, Original Watercolor on Paper. From his sketchbook, depicting a ship sailing in front of the island of Elba where Napoleon was exiled. Title bottom middle: "Porto Longone - Elba." Attribution below title. Label on back from previous gallery with information. 

Condition: Good. 

Overall: 15 1/4 X 19 1/4 in. 

Sight: 5 1/2 X 9 1/2 in. 

#3897 . 

Lieutenant General Sir John Gaspard Le Marchant was born in 1803 in Guernsey, an island off the coast of Normandy France that is a self-governing dependency of the United Kingdom. His mother died during childbirth when he was eight, and his father was the famous British Army Major General John Le Marchant, who died at the crux of the Battle of Salamanca in Spain in 1812, leaving Le Marchant and his older brother Denis orphans. His aunt took him in, and the family fortune allowed him an easy childhood despite these losses. He was educated at High Wycombe Royal Grammar School and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. In 1820, at the age of seventeen, he was commissioned into the 10th Foot as an ensign. In 1821 he transferred to the 57th Foot as a lieutenant and later transferred to the 98th Foot, in which he was promoted to major. In 1835 he became adjutant-general of the British Auxiliary Legion in Spain with the rank of brigadier-general. He transferred to the 20th Foot in 1837, the 99th Foot as lieutenant-colonel in 1839, the 85th Foot in 1845, and the 11th Foot as colonel in 1862, holding the latter post until his death. He was appointed as a Knight of the Order of Charles III by Isabella II, Queen of Spain, in 1838, and was knighted and granted permission to use his Spanish knighthood in Britain. He was also a Knight Commander of the Military Order of St Ferdinand. Throughout his life he had developed a love affair with art, frequently sketching and painting in watercolors when he could, although he never exhibited in his lifetime. His topographical watercolors that he painted as a cadet on his many voyages depict a vast array of waterfronts, from Bermuda to the Mediterranean, and it was not until after his death that his sketchbook was discovered and his works brought him as much appreciation as his military acumen. In 1847 he reluctantly accepted the governorship of Newfoundland, although he was vocal in his opposition to the idea of responsible government and condemned local merchants for amassing wealth in the Colony only to return to England. After the great fire of 1846 funds were collected for the victims, and Le Marchant, acting upon Robert Law’s recommendation that no further money be given to victims, then directed funds to the repair of public buildings and construction of roads in St. John’s and the outports, an extremely divisive decision. He then served a term as Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (1852-58) and later as Governor of Malta (1858-64). While in Malta, he had some portrait photos taken of him and his daughters by Maltese photography pioneer Leandro Preziosi, with whom he exchanged some artwork as a mutual show of appreciation for one another’s craft. In 1865 Le Marchant was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army, although he retired in 1868 due to health reasons. He died in Pimlico, London, England in 1874. Several roads in Canada are named in his honor, and his crisp and luminous depictions of coastlines are considered particularly refined for an artist who never took formal training in any form of art his entire life.

Good.