Edward Harley (1689–1741), 2nd Earl of Oxford

This 1715 portrait of Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford, depicts one of the greatest collectors in English history — the man who assembled the Harleian Collection of manuscripts and rare books that eventually formed part of the foundation of the British Library. Harley inherited his father Robert Harley's collecting instincts and far exceeded them, accumulating thousands of manuscripts, printed books, coins, and prints during his lifetime. The Harleian Collection's acquisition by Parliament after his death in 1741 saved it from dispersal and made it the cornerstone of the national manuscript collection. Kneller's portrait at the beginning of his collecting career captures the young earl whose ambition would transform British cultural patrimony.

The portrait presents the bibliophile Earl with the cultured refinement appropriate to a man whose collecting shaped the national heritage, Kneller's experienced technique capturing both aristocratic bearing and scholarly sensibility.