Portrait of Leopold I, King of Belgium, 1810-1815 by George Dawe. This is a very rare and unique portrait of Leopold I, King of Belgium (1790-1865), in his young age: 20-25 years of old. Presumably, the year when the portrait was painted in 1810-1815, the time of Napoleon invasion of Europe and Russia. BIOGRAPHY: Leopold I (French: Léopold; 16 December 1790 – 10 December 1865) was the first King of the Belgians, reigning from 21 July 1831 until his death in 1865. The youngest son of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Leopold took a commission in the Imperial Russian Army and fought against Napoleon after French troops overran Saxe-Coburg during the Napoleonic Wars. After Napoleon's defeat, Leopold moved to the United Kingdom, where in 1816 he married Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of the Prince Regent (the future King George IV). Leopold and Charlotte's marriage was happy, but it ended after a year and a half, when Charlotte died after delivering a stillborn son. Leopold continued to enjoy considerable status in Britain. DESCRIPTION: Size of the frame: 29 in. x 25 in. = 72.5 cm x 62.5 cm; Size of the stretcher: 24 x 20 in. = 60 cm x 50 cm; Weight of the frame: 15 lb. = 6.75 kg; Condition: Fine, normal age wear, no defects; This painting was not signed, but 20% of Dawe’s paintings were not signed. BIOGRAPHY of the ARTIST: George Dawe (1781-1829) England - highest possibility. The portrait was not signed, but after meticulous research, we came to conclusion that the artist was George Dawe. His painting of classical subjects won much praise and were the making of his early reputation, but he was more interested in financial success and sought portraiture commissions, which were lucrative and which brought him into contact with high society. However, the direct way in which he promoted his own work was not approved of by artistic society and brought considerable criticism from his contemporaries, one of whom was John Constable, who painted a background for a Dawe portrait on at least one occasion. He enjoyed the patronage of the Duke and Duchess of Kent and also that of Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold. Confusing messages on the portrait: In the right upper corner there is a confusing message in a light oil paint, in English: “Thomas Picton General Served in Paris(?) when ______(?) under the Duke of Wellington, Killed in action Waterloo ____________and ____ tranche ___Cavalry 1815”. This is a completely wrong message. Computer Face Recognition Analysis excluded this possibility. Is the painting of King Leopold? -True. Similarity score with King Leopold: 0.4921005584814231. Is the painting of General Murat? -False. Similarity score with General Murat: 0.7805936981139793. TEST B: Compare the painting to portrait of Thomas Picton and the portrait of General Murat. Is the painting of Thomas Picton? -False. Similarity score with Thomas Picton: 0.6722433957862264 (younger portrait). Similarity score with Thomas Picton: 0.7660791676968941 (older portrait). OTHER PORTRAITS of KING Leopold: There are few portraits of king Leopold I, in England (National Portrait Gallery, London) and Belgium (Royal Museum of Fine Arts /Old Master’s Museum, Brussels), by George Dawe, but they are either in older age Leopold I, or prints, or copies of the copies. By the way, King Leopold on the similar portraits was dressed in the same red dress uniform, same decorated collar, and was wearing the same Cross of Honor and other orders, as on his young portrait. Auction sales results of George Dawe paintings in the last 20 years: 1. 11-28-2006 - Portrait of tsar Alexander I, 34x24 inches, oil - Estimate: 250,000 GBP=$324,500 USD, Unsold, Sotheby's London; 2. 11-30-2005 - Portrait of Nicholas I on horseback, 48 x 38 inches, oil, Estimate: - 90,000 GBP = $116,820 USD, Unsold, Christie's, London. 3. 11-29-2006 - Portrait of Grand Duke Nicholas on horseback, 48 x 38 inches, oil, -Sold for 108 000 GBP = $140,184 USD, Christie's, London. 4. 06-04-2013 - Portrait of tsar Alexander I, 35 x2 3 inches, oil, -Sold for 134,500 GBP = $174,581 USD, Sotheby's, London. In 10-20 years the prices went up because of inflation. So, our estimate of Leopold I portrait painting is $200,000 - $400,000 USD. Provenance: This painting was purchased by American officer after the Second World War II, in 1945, in Paris, France. Then it was brought to USA and kept for decades as an estate collection in USA. In 1980’s-1990’s, the owners moved to Florida. In 2009 their grandchildren brought the portrait to antique store in St. Petersburg in Florida, USA.