Benjamin Lethieullier MP (1728/9-1797), with two Wild Boar Spears

Benjamin Lethieullier MP (1728/9–1797) appears with two wild boar spears in this 1752 Batoni portrait at Uppark (National Trust). The wild boar spear was a hunting implement that, when used as a portrait attribute, signaled masculine prowess, aristocratic leisure, and the ancient sport of the chase. Benjamin was related by marriage to the Fetherstonhaugh family through the Lethieullier connection — Sarah Lethieullier, also painted by Batoni in 1751, was in the same extended family. The boar spear attribute distinguishes his portrait from those with pastoral wreaths, creating a more actively martial masculine identity within the same Uppark commission series. Benjamin served as MP for Minehead and later for other constituencies during a long political career.

Oil on canvas with hunting implements as the primary attributes distinguishing this portrait within the Uppark series. Two boar spears crossed or held would create compositional diagonals cutting through the standard three-quarter portrait format. Batoni's precise material rendering gives the wooden shafts and iron heads physical presence alongside the sitter's clothing and face.