Lethal gentleman

Painted to please the flashy taste of the swells who congregated around the Prince of Wales (later George IV), John Hoppner's portrait of "The Gentleman Fighter" Richard Humphreys is a sort of 18th century pinup. And like today's Ingemar, Humphreys was as lethal as he was handsome. He twice defeated the famous Daniel Mendoza. Hoppner's portrait is of the unscathed and still popular Humphreys, before Mendoza exacted revenge and defeated the Gentleman twice.

PHOTO

COURTESY OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK