, 2008. Fibreglass stone and airplane. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Purchased 2011. Photo © Roman März](/images/content/menuSeeGallery.png)
Benjamin West
The Death of General Wolfe (Detail), 1770
oil on canvas
152.6 x 214.5 cm
Transfer from the Canadian War Memorials, 1921 (Gift of the 2nd Duke of Westminster, England, 1918)
National Gallery of Canada (no. 8007)
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Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant), c. 1807
William Berczy
German, Canadian, 2
- 1813
oil on canvas
61.8 x 46.1 cm
Purchased 1951
National Gallery of Canada (no. 5777)
It was possibly the famous Mohawk chief's death that prompted William Berczy to paint this portrait, which is unique in a number of ways. It shows the model standing in a classically inspired pose, with the head in three-quarter profile. The outstretched arm evokes imperial authority, while the pleats in the brilliant red blanket echo the folds of a toga. Although the figure appears monumental - an effect emphasized by the low horizon line - each detail of the costume has been rendered with painstaking, almost documentary precision. Showing the chief against the backdrop of an imaginary landscape, the image has been executed in a limited but subtle range of colours dominated by red and green.
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