Captain Keppel by John Downman,
in pencil highlighted with watercolor on paper,
dated 1781.

The sitter of this portrait is almost certainly Frederick Keppel (1762-1830), the son of the Rt. Rev. Hon. Frederick Keppel, Bishop of Exeter, Dean of Windsor and Chaplain to George III. Reverend Keppel was the younger brother of General George Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albermarle, and Admiral Augustus Keppel, 1st and last Viscount Keppel of Elvenden. Frederick Keppel married Louisa Clive in 1796. The parents of two sons, they lived at Lexham Hall, Norfolk.

This portrait is recorded in the 1907 book John Downman, A.R.A. Author George Williamson notes that this portrait was originally a page in the first series of Downman's sketch books, which "have been framed separately and are now in various collections."

Set in the original giltwood and gesso "Downman" frame, conservation mounted with museum glass, 2009. An inscription under the mat reads "Captain Keppel his brother 1781. Original st(udy)./ Nephew to the celebrated Admirel [sic]". Additionally, the reverse has old labels from M. Knoedler & Co. bearing the address of 556 Fifth Avenue where the gallery was located from 1911 to 1925.

7 5/8 inches high. Frame: 13 inches high x 11 3/4 inches wide.

John Downman, A.R.A. (1750-1820), painted historical pictures, portraits in oil and miniatures, but is most widely acclaimed today for his small pastel and pencil portraits. Downman studied at the Royal Academy Schools and with Benjamin West. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1770-1819. Among the museums where Downman's work may be seen in America are the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Huntington Library, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.