Sir Richard Charles Francis Christian Meade, 3rd Earl of Clanwilliam (1795-1879)

Watts painted Sir Richard Charles Francis Christian Meade, 3rd Earl of Clanwilliam in 1870 — an Irish peer and British naval officer who had served as a naval aide-de-camp and reached senior ranks in the Royal Navy. The rather unexpected designation of 'Religious' genre for what appears to be a standard aristocratic portrait may reflect later cataloguing rather than the painting's primary character. Watts by 1870 was in great demand as a portraitist for the British establishment, and his portraits of naval and military officers represent an important strand of his output that complemented his more philosophical and allegorical work. The National Trust's panel preserves the portrait within the country-house context typical of such commissions. Watts's approach to naval men drew on his understanding of command authority and professional resolve — qualities he sought in every sitter, whatever their field.

Painted on panel in oil, the work employs Watts's mature portrait technique adapted to the naval officer subject: formal bearing established through costume and posture, with the face receiving Watts's characteristic concentrated attention. The panel support suggests a degree of care and permanence appropriate to a significant commission.