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John Closterman
1660-1711
portrait of david papillon (c.1691-1762)
full length, standing, in a landscape, with a hound, wearing yellow and red robes, holding a quiver of arrows and a bow
oil on canvas, in a carved wood frame
124.5 by 99 cm., 49 by 39 in.
The sitter, from an important Huguenot family, was the eldest son of Philip Papillon and his wife Anne Jolliffe. His great grandfather David Papillon had come to England when a child and became an architect and property developer. His grandfather Thomas bought the estate of Acrise near Dover in Kent, held a number of important posts in London, including master of the Mercer's Company on four occasions, and also represented Dover as M.P. in six parliaments. His father Philip was also M.P. for Dover (1701-1720). When only sixteen David Papillon travelled to Utrecht and then to Germany on a Grand Tour. He was a member of the Inner Temple and became a bencher in 1744. He was M.P. for New Romney (1722-28 and 1728-34) and for Dover (1734-1741) and worked hard to improve Dover harbour. He was also Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1717 he married Mary, daughter of Timothy Keyser, a London merchant.
This fine portrait belonged to a descendant, A.H. Papillon who restored Acrise Place in the early 1950s.
Provenance:
With the sitter's family circa 1700;
Anon. sale, Christie's, 12th March 1943, lot 127;
Anon. sale, Christie's, 2nd July 1954, lot 125 (as by Sir James Thornhill, bt. Central Galleries, 28gns.);
Mrs A.H. Papillon, Acrise Place, Kent, 1957
Literature:
A. Oswald, 'Acrise Place, Kent', Country Life, 15th August 1957, p.303 (illus. fig.10);
Malcolm Rogers, 'John and John Baptiste Closterman: A catalogue of their works', Walpole Society, 1983, Vol.XLIX, no.72, p.255