Circular miniature in watercolour and gum arabic on ivory, in a circular gilt surround set in a black-lacquered backing board with a suspension ring, top centre. The sitter is shown when a rear-admiral, bust-length against a neutral brownish background, turned slightly to his left but facing the viewer. He wears the flag officer's undress uniform of 1787-95 and his own hair, possibly powdered or natural silver-grey, and the gold medal and chain awarded him after the Battle of the First of June 1794 (at which he lost his left leg below the knee). There is an ink inscription on paper stuck to the back of the frame reading: 'My esteemed Commander and friend Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley Bart [baronet] 1795 painted by Horace Hone ARA'. Despite this the date may be a little later (see below).

Pasley was born in 1734 and entered the Royal Navy in 1752. He became a lieutenant on 10 October 1757, commander on 9 August 1762 and captain on 21 January 1771, serving through both the Seven Years War and the War of American Independence. After being Commodore in the Medway from 1788, he rose to flag rank as Rear-Admiral of the White on 12 April 1794, and of the Red on 4 July in the promotions following the Battle of 1 June that year, where he flew his flag in the 'Bellerophon'. On 1 June 1797 he became Vice-Admiral of the White, and of the Red on 14 February 1799. In these roles he was commander-in-chief at the Nore in 1798 and at Plymouth from 1799, which was his last service. In one of these positions Rowlandson drew a fine caricature of him as 'The Tough Old Commodore' (PAF5936) which shows him with the wooden leg of his latter years. He rose to Admiral of the Blue from 1 January 1801, and finally of the White in the post-Trafalgar promotions of 9 November 1805: he died on 29 November 1808. This miniature of Pasley (which has some old mould damage) is practically identical to Lemuel Francis Abbott's half-length oil portrait, painted in 1795 (see BHC2941, and the 1797 engraving from it, PAG6456). Given the inscription and the fact that Abbott painted a large number of naval and military men, it is probably a copy from the oil rather than directly from life, though the latter is possible in whole or part. With the oil it is or particular interest in showing the gold medal and chain awarded to the seven flag-officers (an unusualy high number) who were involved at the 'Glorious First of June' 1794, under overall command of Richard, Earl Howe. This notable victory was the first major fleet action of the French Revolutionary War and the medal was struck as a result of it, with a smaller version awarded to the captains involved: the latter was of the modern form, suspended from a bar and short blue-and-white ribbon, and worn on the lapel of the uniform jacket, or sometimes the left breast. Both medals continued to be awarded for subsequent major actions of the French wars to 1815 and they were the first regular naval battle decorations, the captain's setting a familiar pattern. However, this was the only occasion when those for flag officers were on gold chains presented in 1794, to which the medals were added when issued in 1796: later ones came on a neck-loop of the same ribbon as the captain's version and are much more commonly shown in portraits than the chained one. Despite the inscription date of 1795, this image is probably from 1796 or later since the medal was only issued that year. The uniform shown had also changed to a new pattern from 1 June 1795, which is another reason for believing it is a copy after Abbott. The artist, Horace Hone (1754-1825), was one of the sons of the better known miniaturist and painter Nathaniel Hone, and himself a skilled practitioner.The miniature was a purchased in February 1958, from Messrs Appleby, the London dealers.