The son of an American merchant, Patrick Heatly (1753-1834) served in the administration of the East India Company. This portrait is thought to show Mr. Heatly waving farewell to his beloved sister Temperance before she sailed home to America.
Zoffany traveled to India in March 1783. He was well recommended and immediately taken up by the governor-general, Warren Hastings (1732-1818). The Heatly portrait with dog is typical of the small, conventional conversation pieces that Zoffany painted for somewhat homesick English clients in India, though he was occasionally adventurous, introducing Indian attendants and gleefully exotic settings.
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