About the Piece

George Knapton was an important painter to the English aristocracy of the mid to late 18th century. His works hang in many an English manor house. Although the sitter is unknown, we can see he is richly dressed and also surrounded by richly-appointed furnishings. He is a man of letters as denoted by the quill, ink and letters on the table next to his left hand. The highly refined treatment of the sitter's face and hands shows a marked attachment to the sensitive and aristocratic nature of the subject.