John Radcliffe (1652–1714)

This portrait of John Radcliffe is one of multiple versions painted by Kneller and his studio of the celebrated physician whose posthumous generosity transformed Oxford University. Radcliffe's endowment — the Radcliffe Camera, Radcliffe Observatory, Radcliffe Infirmary, and the Radcliffe Travelling Fellowship — created some of Oxford's most iconic architectural landmarks and most significant scientific and medical institutions. The multiple portrait versions reflect both Radcliffe's celebrity in his lifetime and the continued demand for his image after his death in 1714. Kneller's studio produced replicas for the various Oxford institutions that Radcliffe's bequest had founded.

The portrait presents Radcliffe with the confidence and prosperity befitting England's most famous physician, rendered in the straightforward, efficient manner characteristic of Kneller's portraiture of professional men.