General John Leslie (1698–1767), 10th Earl of Rothes, KT

John Leslie, 10th Earl of Rothes, was a Scottish peer who held both military rank and an ancient noble title — he was also a Knight of the Thistle, Scotland's highest order of chivalry. Ramsay's portrait captures a subject whose social position demanded formal grandeur while his own artistic instincts pushed toward psychological intimacy. The Bowes Museum holds this work as part of a collection that spans British and European painting, contextualising it within the broader tradition of aristocratic portraiture. The Earl's dual identity — as a general and as a Thistle knight — would have been expressed through dress and insignia. Ramsay negotiated such requirements skillfully, using costume as a framing device rather than the dominant subject. His portraits of Scottish peers from this period form a coherent visual record of the Hanoverian-era Scottish nobility as it adapted to post-Union political realities.

Portraits of Knights of the Thistle required careful attention to ceremonial dress — the distinctive green robes and star insignia of the order would be painted with precise heraldic accuracy. Ramsay manages this descriptive obligation while keeping the face the expressive heart of the composition. His technique at this level involves careful underpainting followed by refined surface glazes.