Robert Harley (1661–1724), 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer

This 1712 portrait of Robert Harley at the British Museum depicts the politician in his role as Lord Treasurer during the final phase of the negotiations for the Peace of Utrecht. Harley's deft management of a divided ministry, a suspicious queen, and increasingly bitter party conflict while simultaneously conducting secret peace negotiations with France was one of the most complex political achievements of the early eighteenth century. The Peace of Utrecht in 1713, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession, was primarily Harley's diplomatic achievement, though it cost him the support of allies who felt Britain had abandoned its commitments.

The portrait captures Harley at the height of his political power, Kneller's rendering of the statesman's features suggesting both intellectual acuity and the calculated reserve of an experienced political operator.