Arthur Wellesley (1769–1852), 1st Duke of Wellington, Field Marshal and Prime Minister

François Gérard's portrait of the Duke of Wellington of 1814 depicts the British general who had just completed the Peninsular War victory — liberating Spain and Portugal from French occupation — shortly before the Waterloo campaign that would end Napoleon's career permanently. Wellington visited Paris after Napoleon's first abdication, and Gérard's portrait captures the Iron Duke with the formal directness that distinguished his best male portraiture. The painting documents the extraordinary cultural moment when the victorious allied commander sat for the court painter of his defeated enemy.

Gérard renders the duke in military dress with diplomatic elegance and characteristic smooth technique. The formal three-quarter pose and neutral background follow established conventions of military portraiture.