William Howley (1766-1848), Archbishop of Canterbury

William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1828 to 1848, is depicted in full ecclesiastical authority in this 1828 portrait at Lambeth Palace. Howley presided over the Church of England during a turbulent period of reform, Catholic Emancipation, and the Oxford Movement. Shee, as the leading portrait painter of the establishment and soon to become PRA, was the natural choice for this important ecclesiastical commission. Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop"s official London residence, houses a collection of portraits documenting the succession of Canterbury"s primates.

Shee follows the conventions of ecclesiastical portraiture, showing Howley in his robes of office with the attributes of his rank. The dark crimson and black of the archbishop"s vestments dominate the palette, set against a neutral background that allows the face to emerge as the focal point. The rendering of silk and satin shows Shee"s competence with textile textures, while the face receives the most careful attention, built up through successive layers of warm and cool tones.