Overall: 75cm (29.5in) x 86cm (34in)
Oil on canvas. Portrait of an officer of the 6th Dragoon Guards and his charger with a stable to the right and an open (possibly Irish) landscape beyond containing four mounted troopers of the 6th DG. Attributed to John F. Herring Senior (1795-1865) Canvas: 61cm (24in) x 71cm (28in). Framed.
The subject of this portrait wears an amalgam of uniform that places him in a time bracket of 1821-1822. His latest pattern regimentals worn with a Napoleonic era hemet may suggest a desire to be seen as a particpant in the Napooleonic Wars. His 1812 pattern helmet is described as carrying the title of ‘6th Dragoon Guards or Carabiniers’, with a black horse hair tuft decorating the front of the gilt crest, and trailing a long black horse hair mane. This helmet was replaced under the ‘Regulations for Dress, 1822’ with a number described as ‘Roman, black glazed skull and peak, encircled with richly gilt laurel leaves, rich gilt dead-wrought scales and lion’s heads, bearskin top.’
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Our subject has replaced the heavy dragoon short coatee of the Napoleonic Wars with the new 1822 tailed coatee for heavy cavalry. This coatee was scarlet with collar, cuffs and turn-backs in the regimental facing colour, which in the case of the 6th DG was white. It is fastened with eight buttons to the front, and is plastered to the front with the silver lace worn by the 6th DG until 1830, when the distinction of gold lace for the regular Army and silver for Yeomanry and Militia was made. The heavily laced coatee was replaced by a plainer version in 1827-28. The 1822 sleeves and cuffs are covered by four chevron loops with buttons in the middle. The three and a half inch high Prussian collar of facing colour is further laced all around in silver. The pouch-belt is similarly laced in silver probably with Ess & Vellum pattern, the same as the waist-belt. The aiguillettes detailed in ‘1822 Dress Regs’ were prescribed for review order but are not worn here. The elaborately laced sabretache is however present. The officer’s ‘cossack’ trousers are an 1822 addition with silver lace stripes down the side. The Pattern 1822 heavy cavalry officer's sword for the 6th Dragoon Guards is attached by slings to his smilarly laced waist-belt. His chesnut charger is typical of the hunters privately purchased by officers, equipped with officer’s pattern saddle and horse furniture, including regimentally specific bit boss and valise.