John Hookham Frere

Frere (1769–1846) was a diplomat, author and wit; Hoppner, a leading portraitist and family friend. The sitter is shown at the height of his fame; his career would soon end in failure as Ambassador to Spain during the Peninsular War. Hoppner has captured his subject’s considerable self-importance: with a heavy cloak flung over his shoulder, Frere stands defiant against a stormy sky. His pose echoes the work of Van Dyck, the ultimate expression of aristocratic portraiture in England.