# Captain George K. H. Coussmaker (1759–1801)

**Joshua Reynolds** (English, 1723–1792)  
1782  
Oil on canvas  
93 3/4 x 57 1/4 in. (238.1 x 145.4 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 20.155.3. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437447).

## About this work

Captain George Coussmaker leans against a tree with his legs casually crossed, his red coat glowing against the dark woodland, while his horse lowers its head behind him. Reynolds, the first president of the Royal Academy, gave the young officer the relaxed elegance of a gentleman at ease rather than the stiff bearing of a soldier, a pose that draws on the grand tradition of Van Dyck. Records of the sittings suggest that Coussmaker posed many times, and the horse had sessions of its own.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Joshua Reynolds painted this in 1782, aged 59. It is now at The Met in New York.

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Joshua Reynolds](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/joshua-reynolds)

English, 1723–1792; born in Plympton; died in London

Reynolds trained in London under Thomas Hudson, then spent two years in Italy studying the old masters, an experience that shaped his ambition to raise portraiture to the dignity of history painting. He became the leading portraitist of Georgian society and, in 1768, the first President of the Royal Academy. His Discourses to its students set out the principles of the Grand Manner and remained influential long after his death.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Paintings
- The artist was 59
- Real size: about 94 × 57 in (238 × 145 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 18 × 24 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 18th century
- Subjects: Men, Portraits, Horses
- Colour: black
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1146.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1146/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/captain-george-k-h-coussmaker-1759-1801-met-437447).