Portrait of General James Masterson
by KAUFFMANN, Angelica, Oil on canvas, painted oval, 76 x 64 cm
General James Masterson (1715-77) is portrayed bust-length, wearing a red coat. He served with the Hanoverian army during the defeat at the Battle of Falkirk to the Jacobites in 1746, he became an aide-de-camp and confidant to Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1765). By 1761 Masterson had risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and became Deputy Adjutant-General for Ireland. His military career continued to flourish, and he retired in 1762 with the rank of General, and continued a political career as MP for Stirling Burghs in 1768.