Portrait of Jeremiah Milles (1714–1784)

This portrait of Jeremiah Milles, an antiquary and Dean of Exeter, depicts a learned churchman-scholar of the Georgian era. Milles was president of the Society of Antiquaries and a significant figure in the study of British archaeology and local history. Dance's portraits combined the formal conventions of Grand Manner portraiture with a cooler, more austere palette and sculptural figure treatment that reflected his years studying in Rome under the influence of Pompeo Batoni.

The scholarly portrait presents Milles with the quiet authority of a man of learning, Dance's measured composition and careful rendering of features creating a dignified image appropriate to the sitter's academic and ecclesiastical standing.