GROUP OF RELATED PORTRAIT MINIATURES, SIBLINGS OF THE CROCKAT FAMILY, LEITH Y
EARLY 19TH CENTURY
Auction: Day One, Other Properties | Wed 3rd Sept at 10am | Lots 171 to 402
Description
all watercolour on ivory, depicting the adult children of John Crockat and his wife Helen Robertson, of Hawksfield, Leith; to include a rectangular profile portrait of Charlotte Crockat, and oval portraits of sons Thomas, Charles, and William Crockat, all in gilt metal frames, the group mounted in a blue velvet lined shadow box frame
Dimensions
30cm x 39cm overall
Footnote
Lieutenant General Sir William Crockat (also spelled Crokat) retired to No. 52 Inverleith Row in 1830, following a 23-year military career that left him invalided. Despite enduring long-term effects from the fever contracted during the Walcheren campaign and injuries sustained in Spain—ailments that plagued him for the rest of his life—he defied expectations and lived a further 44 years in retirement.
Crockat was the youngest son of John Crokat Esq. of Hawkfield in South Leith, a master slater. Known at the time as Captain Crockat, he held the distinction of being the last officer responsible for overseeing Napoleon Bonaparte’s imprisonment on St. Helena. He was present at Napoleon’s death and personally returned to Britain with the despatches announcing it. In recognition of his service, he received a £500 reward and a promotion.
According to reports, Crockat cut a lock of Napoleon’s hair after his death and gifted it to his sister as a keepsake. His obituary records that he retained several relics from his time on St. Helena, including: a silver plate and knife bearing the Imperial eagle used by Napoleon; a portrait of the Emperor as a boy, taken from his snuff box; a wooden spatula used by Napoleon for cleaning his gardening spade during exile; a cordon worn by him during the “100 Days” campaign; a silk stocking and garter; and a carved spirits case made from cocoa nut wood.
Captain Crockat is also depicted in uniform on the right side of the painting The Death of Napoleon by Charles Steuben.
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Sold in compliance with UK Government and APHA regulations, with (non-transferable) exemption registration reference ~