Thomas Moreton Reynolds (1733–1785), 2nd Lord Ducie of Tortworth

Reynolds painted Thomas Moreton Reynolds, 2nd Lord Ducie, around 1759, a portrait of the Gloucestershire peer who belonged to the Moreton family of Tortworth Court. Lord Ducie held a barony created by William III, one of the older peerages in the west of England, and his commission for a Reynolds portrait reflects the westcountry aristocracy's engagement with the most successful painter to have emerged from their region. Reynolds maintained his Devon and Somerset connections throughout his career, and commissions from the Gloucestershire and Bristol gentry supplemented his London practice with regional patronage that kept him connected to his origins. The National Museum Cardiff's holding of this canvas reflects the dispersal of English portrait commissions into Welsh institutional collections through the Victorian-era art market; the Moreton family's Gloucestershire location makes the Welsh connection geographically marginal but not implausible given the regional overlap of Welsh and English collecting institutions.

Executed in Oil on canvas, the work showcases Joshua Reynolds's warm chiaroscuro, with particular attention to the interplay of light across the sitter's features. The handling of drapery and accessories demonstrates the technical refinement expected of formal portraiture.