Claudius James Rich (1786/1787–1821)

Claudius James Rich, the brilliant young British Resident in Baghdad who pioneered the archaeological exploration of Babylon and Nineveh before his death from cholera at thirty-four, appears in this 1825 portrait at the British Museum. Rich's surveys and collections laid the groundwork for the major Assyriological discoveries of Layard and others. The British Museum, which acquired Rich's collection of cuneiform tablets and antiquities, holds this memorial to one of the founders of Mesopotamian archaeology.

Phillips presents Rich with the directness appropriate to a man of action and scholarship. The portrait may include references to Rich's Eastern travels in costume or background details. The handling is straightforward and competent, with the flesh painting capturing the youthful features of a man who died before his remarkable potential could be fully realized.