Charles James Fox (1749–1806)

This Thomas Phillips portrait represents his extensive practice among the professional and educated classes of Regency Britain. Phillips was appointed professor of painting at the Royal Academy in 1825 and was known for his thoughtful, technically accomplished approach to portraiture. His sitters included Byron, Coleridge, and Faraday, and his institutional connections gave him access to the intellectual and social elite that other portrait painters of the period rarely achieved.

The posthumous portrait draws on earlier likenesses to create a convincing image of the statesman. Phillips's technique renders the distinctive features with the precision expected of a political memorial portrait.