John Julius Angerstein (1736–1823)

Lawrence's John Julius Angerstein (1789) at the Metropolitan Museum depicts the Lloyd's underwriter and art collector whose collection would form the nucleus of the National Gallery when it was purchased by the government in 1824. Angerstein, one of the wealthiest men in Britain, was also one of the most important art patrons of his generation, and his collection included major works by Raphael, Claude, Rubens, and other masters. Lawrence's portrait of him — an early work, painted when the artist was in his early twenties — already shows the psychological directness and painterly confidence that would make him Reynolds's successor. The portrait documents the beginning of a significant patronage relationship.

The youthful Lawrence already displays his gift for elegant portraiture, with smooth, refined modeling of the face and a luminous quality to the flesh tones. The handling is more careful than his later, more bravura style, but the confident placement of the figure and warm tonality reveal his precocious talent.