After Raden Saleh,
Indonesian c. 1811-1880-
 
Portrait of John Francis Loudon (1821-1895),...

After Raden Saleh,

Indonesian c. 1811-1880-

Portrait of John Francis Loudon (1821-1895), full-length, in a red coat, in a landscape;

oil on canvas, bears signature and date, 85x70cm

Provenance: Private Collection, 1972; Private collection of Victor Aubrey Lownes III (April 17, 1928-January 11, 2017). Lownes was an executive for HMH Publishing Company Inc., later known as Playboy Enterprises, from 1955 through the early 1980s.

Literature: possibly J. de Loos-Haaxman, Verlaat rapport Indië, s-Gravenhage: Mouton & Co, 1968, p. 124 noot 7. Een copie door J.F. Obbes in het museum van de Gemeenschappelijke Mijnbouwmaatschappij Billiton te s-Gravenhage.

Note: John Loudon was a pioneering figure involved in the exploration and exploitationof tin mining on the island of Belitung, off the east coast of Sumatra, in the years 1852-1855. The Dutch called the island Billiton, however its vernacular name has always been Belitung.

It is no coincidence that John Loudon asked Raden Saleh to portray him in 1855 in Batavia, as he had just returned from a stay on the island of Belitung. He is depicted in the painting as a pioneer working in the tropical environment of the island with Chinese workers who are seen extracting tin ore from a river. John Loudons pioneering exploration and practical leadership skills contributed to the foundation of the Billiton Maatschappij in November 1860, but he had no function within the company.

According to one known record, the Billiton Company commissioned a copy of the original portrait of John Francis Loudon by Raden Saleh. Although there is no known reproduction image of this copy, De Loos-Haaxman states that a copy was made by an Dutch artist called J. F. (Joan François) Obbes (1869-1963).

This painting bears the signature Raden Saleh and date 1855, as this was copied exactly as written on the original work.

With thanks to Dr Marie-Odette Scalliet for her assistance in the cataloguing of this work.