William Van Mildert (1765–1836), Bishop of Durham (1826–1836)

Lawrence painted William Van Mildert around 1826, depicting the last Prince-Bishop of Durham, who served from 1826 to 1836. Van Mildert was the final holder of the ancient office that combined episcopal authority with quasi-secular palatinate powers. He is best remembered for founding Durham University in 1832, endowing it with the bishop's castle and much of his income. Now at Durham University, the portrait commemorates the institution's founder and documents the end of a medieval ecclesiastical office.

The posthumous nature of the work is apparent in a certain stiffness of handling compared to Lawrence's autograph portraits. The face lacks the animated quality of a painting done from life, though the composition and general treatment follow Lawrence's portrait conventions for senior churchmen.