Sir Alexander Macdonald c1772 - an interesting outfit

[Tarheel]

I find the cantle of the sporran quite interesting. I will assume the metal to be pewter for these reasons. The buckle on the baldric seems to be silver. A pewter cantle would be easier to cast with the designs shown in the painting. I also like the square (obvious spacious opening) shape. One could put a lot of items in there with ease.

Sorry to distract from the OP's subject.

[Luke MacGillie]

I find the cantle of the sporran quite interesting. I will assume the metal to be pewter for these reasons. The buckle on the baldric seems to be silver. A pewter cantle would be easier to cast with the designs shown in the painting. I also like the square (obvious spacious opening) shape. One could put a lot of items in there with ease.

Sorry to distract from the OP's subject.

Ive never seen a pewter cantle, but ive not seen every surviving 18th Century sporran or cantle. Not dismissing your idea, outright, but I think that if its a white metal, then silver or even cut steel are better choices.

Here are a couple squarish sporran cantles, photos from a google search.

[figheadair]

Allowing for artistic licence, I don't why the cantle wouldn't be brass, or possibly bronze.

[Benning Boy]

What I notice about the sporran is that it appears to be hanging from a wider belt than is customary nowadays, and it also appears to be worn higher than is common today. I like what I see, and will make that "traditional" for me.

The red facing on the jacket is a nice touch. The simplicity of its construction appeals to me; no fancy cuffs, no epaulettes, just elegance.

[figheadair]

What I notice about the sporran is that it appears to be hanging from a wider belt than is customary nowadays, and it also appears to be worn higher than is common today. I like what I see, and will make that "traditional" for me.

The red facing on the jacket is a nice touch. The simplicity of its construction appeals to me; no fancy cuffs, no epaulettes, just elegance.

The higher up style is similar to that in the portriat of James Moray of Abercarney.



The red lining seems to have been popular. It is a feature in three of the five surviving Culloden era coats I known of. Of the remaining two, one, the Culloden Coat, the lining is gray and in the other, the Hynde Cotton suit, it's white.