Scottish Oil Painting the Jacobite Lord: Kenneth Sutherland, 3rd Lord Duffus — After Richard Waitt

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Description

The Jacobite Lord: Kenneth Sutherland, 3rd Lord Duffus — After Richard Waitt
Subject & Medium
Oil on canvas portrait of … Read more The Jacobite Lord: Kenneth Sutherland, 3rd Lord Duffus — After Richard Waitt
Subject & Medium
Oil on canvas portrait of Kenneth Sutherland, 3rd Lord Duffus, a Highland nobleman and devoted Jacobite of the early 18th century. Painted in the late 19th century (circa 1870) after the Scottish Old Master Richard Waitt, the work captures both the likeness and the legend of a lord whose fate was entwined with the Stuart cause.
The oil medium allows for rich tonal variation — the deep red of the sitter’s coat, the crisp white lace of his cravat and cuffs, the subdued greens and blues of his tartan stockings, and the warm flesh tones framed by a flowing periwig.
Composition & Technique
Lord Duffus is depicted full-length in Highland dress, posed with dignified authority, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. At his side sits a noble Scottish deerhound gazing upward in loyalty, while a game bird lies in the foreground — symbols of fidelity, landownership, and aristocratic prestige.
Behind him, a storm-lit Highland landscape merges portraiture with historical drama. Working after Waitt, the artist models the sitter’s features and costume with refined, academic precision, while the landscape and hound are rendered with looser, expressive brushwork. The palette — rich reds, earthy browns, Highland greens, and cool gray-blues — heightens the sitter’s commanding presence.
This painting stands as both a faithful homage to Richard Waitt and a Victorian celebration of Scotland’s romantic Jacobite past.
About Kenneth Sutherland, 3rd Lord Duffus (d. 1732)
Kenneth Sutherland inherited the title of 3rd Lord Duffus, one of the most distinguished noble seats in the Scottish Highlands. A steadfast Jacobite, he supported the 1715 rising in favor of the exiled Stuart monarchy. For this act of loyalty, he was stripped of his lands and title by the Crown.
To his contemporaries, he was a man of noble birth and martial courage; to later generations — especially during the Victorian era — he became the embodiment of the romantic Highland laird: sword at his side, loyal hound at his feet, and a dramatic Highland sky above.
This portrait preserves both his likeness and his legend — a nobleman loyal to a lost cause, bound forever to the memory of a vanished Highland world.
About the Artist
Richard Waitt (active circa 1708–1732) was a leading Scottish portraitist, celebrated for his clan portraits at Castle Grant. His works remain among the most significant visual records of early 18th-century Highland life.
The present painting, executed in the late 19th century after Waitt, reflects the Victorian fascination with Scotland’s clan heritage and Jacobite romance.
Signature
Unsigned, as typical for later works after Waitt.
Framing
Recently reframed in a finely moulded Larson-Juhl frame fitted with museum-quality AR70 protective glass, offering both elegant presentation and conservation-grade protection.
Size
Frame dimensions: 74 cm high × 53.5 cm wide × 2 cm depth
Provenance
Depicting Kenneth Sutherland, 3rd Lord Duffus (d. 1732), whose lands were forfeited after the 1715 Jacobite rising.
Later relined by Winsor & Newton, London.
Sold through a notable Scottish auction house.
Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd.
Exhibited at the Famous Lord Hill Museum.
Why You’ll Love It
A portrait after Richard Waitt, one of Scotland’s great Old Masters.
A sitter whose Jacobite loyalty lends both historical depth and romantic appeal.
Exquisite detail in Highland costume, loyal hound, and atmospheric landscape.
Documented provenance and exhibition history — rare for Victorian reinterpretations.
Recently restored and reframed to museum standard.


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