Edward Copleston (1776–1849), Bishop of Llandaff

Phillips's portrait of Edward Copleston, Bishop of Llandaff from around 1830 depicts the scholar and ecclesiastical administrator who had been one of the most influential figures in Oxford before his elevation to the episcopate. Copleston as Provost of Oriel had made that college the intellectual center of early nineteenth-century Oxford, nurturing the generation of thinkers that included Newman, Whately, and Keble who would later drive the Oxford Movement. His subsequent career as Bishop of Llandaff maintained his intellectual engagement while placing him within the Welsh church that was facing significant pastoral challenges. Phillips's portrait served the institutional record of an important figure who spanned the transition from Regency Oxford to Victorian church life.

The episcopal portrait follows established conventions for depicting ecclesiastical authority, with careful attention to vestments and insignia. Phillips's smooth, accomplished technique creates a dignified likeness suited to the sitter's office.