Thomas Hickey 1741-1824. Irish School 18th.Century. Charcoal, pastel and pencil drawing. Portrait of Lieutenant Colonel Close (Sir Barry Close, 1st Baronet) 1756-1813.
Charcoal, pastel and pencil, 23 by 32 cms.
Dated lower right '12 September [1801]'
From a series of portraits by Hickey of officers serving in India between 1799 and 1801, another version of this drawing (inscribed 'Madras 14 September 1801') forms part of the Duke of Wellington's collection at Stratfield Saye.
In July 1799 Thomas Hickey, an Irish portrait painter resident at Madras, advertised a scheme to paint seven oil paintings of scenes relating to the recent capture of Seringapatam and the death of Tipu Sultan. Accordingly, Hickey made chalk drawings from life of the officers involved in the campaign as well as members of Tipu’s family and household. The paintings were never completed, however Hickey’s preparatory drawings―such as this study of Colonel Barry Close―were admired for their likenesses and remain as an invaluable historical document.
Born in Armagh, Close joined the Madras Army as an infantry cadet in 1771 and served during the defence of Tellicherry and the Anglo-Mysore Wars. As deputy adjutant-general he played a central role in planning and executing the campaign where Tipu Sultan was defeated and killed at The Siege of Seringapatam, 1799. Following the fall of Tipu, Close worked as the first British Resident in Mysore (1799-1801) and later as Resident at Poona where he helped negotiate the Treaty Of Bassein, 1802. He was promoted Major General in 1810 and created the 1st.Baronet of Mysore in 1812. The town of Closepet (now known as Ramanagara) in Karnataka, India was named in his honour.
An Irish painter. Born in Dublin, Hickey studied at the Royal Dublin Society. Primarily a portraitist he travelled widely, working in India, Portugal, Italy and England, residing in Bath between 1776 and 1780. On his voyage to India, the vessel in which he was travelling was captured by French and Spanish fleets which led him to Lisbon, where, after receiving a number of commissions, he remained for several years. He eventually reached Bengal and stayed there until 1791 when he returned to England. He then journeyed to China with George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney as the expedition''s official portrait painter. By 1798 he had returned to India where he landed just in time for the start of the Fourth Mysore War, which kept him engaged in painting. He resided in Madras until his death in 1824. In addition to his artistic talents, he is reputed to have been a sparkling conversationalist who rarely failed to charm his sitters.
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