Portrait of Comte de Rochambeau Purchased by Anne Brown (1956)
Title
Portrait of Comte de Rochambeau Purchased by Anne Brown (1956)
Description
The three Americana portraits represent Anne Seddon Kinsolving Brown’s passion for military uniforms and regalia. She acquired the trio of portraits together in 1956 for $14,700. Before Anne bought them, they found their way from France to a military collection in Rhode Island, “a state in whose history each of the three generals had an important part.”
The artist of the portraits of Marquis Lafayette and George Washington is attributed to Jean-Baptiste Le Paon, an eighteenth century French painter. He was known for painting battle and mitiarlistic scenes and was appointed “premier peintre du prince de Conde”. And the portrait of Comte de Rochambeau is attributed to another French painter by the name of Gelee.
The frame of Washington’s portrait depicts the shield of the United States at the top, while the other two feature the Brown family coat of arms.
Painted later than its counterparts, the Rochambeau portrait was likely posthumous because it portrayed Rochambeau at the height of his career. His pose is more formal and static than the paintings of Washington and LaFayette. Rochambeau rests his marshal's baton on a stack of documents. In a confident stance, Rochambeau wears the uniform of a full-dress French general: blue coat with gold lacing, red waistcoat and breeches. On his coat is the star of the Order of the Saint-Esprit, which was awarded to him in 1771. The general dominates the landscape.
The artist of the portraits of Marquis Lafayette and George Washington is attributed to Jean-Baptiste Le Paon, an eighteenth century French painter. He was known for painting battle and mitiarlistic scenes and was appointed “premier peintre du prince de Conde”. And the portrait of Comte de Rochambeau is attributed to another French painter by the name of Gelee.
The frame of Washington’s portrait depicts the shield of the United States at the top, while the other two feature the Brown family coat of arms.
Painted later than its counterparts, the Rochambeau portrait was likely posthumous because it portrayed Rochambeau at the height of his career. His pose is more formal and static than the paintings of Washington and LaFayette. Rochambeau rests his marshal's baton on a stack of documents. In a confident stance, Rochambeau wears the uniform of a full-dress French general: blue coat with gold lacing, red waistcoat and breeches. On his coat is the star of the Order of the Saint-Esprit, which was awarded to him in 1771. The general dominates the landscape.
Creator
Gelee
Source
Digital copy created by the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage
Date
Early 18th Century (Approx.)
Contributor
Minah Seo
Rights
Rights Status Not Evaluated
Citation
Gelee, “Portrait of Comte de Rochambeau Purchased by Anne Brown (1956),” Digital Tours of The Nightingale-Brown House , accessed November 2, 2025, https://cds.library.brown.edu/NBHouse/items/show/57.