Admiral Lord de Saumarez (1757–1836), KB

Admiral Lord de Saumarez, the naval commander whose victories at Algeciras and in the Baltic during the Napoleonic Wars earned him one of the most distinguished records in the Royal Navy, appears in this portrait from around 1808 at the Defence Academy. Saumarez's Baltic campaign of 1808-12, which kept the sea lanes open against French-allied naval forces, was one of the most strategically important British naval operations of the Napoleonic Wars.

The naval portrait presents de Saumarez in the uniform and decorations befitting his rank and achievements. Phillips renders the military costume with the precision such subjects demanded. The face conveys the resolute authority of a proven naval commander, its weathered features suggesting years of sea service.