Lord Ronald Sutherland Gower (1845–1916), Sculptor and Writer

Lord Ronald Gower was a sculptor, writer, and aesthete who moved in the circles of Oscar Wilde and the aesthetic movement — his monument to Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon is his most enduring work. Millais's 1876 portrait for the Royal Shakespeare Theatre captures Gower at a moment when he was deeply engaged with Shakespearean subject matter and theatrical culture. The portrait's placement in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre is historically appropriate, given Gower's central role in the Shakespeare Memorial project and his personal artistic practice.

Millais's characteristic portrait fluency is evident in the confident rendering of the sitter's somewhat unconventional appearance — the aesthete's distinctive combination of refinement and studied informality captured with rapid, assured brushwork. Background and clothing are handled broadly, with the face given the most searching attention.