James Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale, 1759 - 1839. Statesman

Phillips's portrait of James Maitland, eighth Earl of Lauderdale from around 1806 depicts a Scottish political figure who navigated the transition from Radical Whig to conservative establishment figure—the man who had visited Revolutionary Paris and corresponded with Jefferson but became a fierce opponent of parliamentary reform. Lauderdale's An Inquiry into the Nature and Origin of Public Wealth (1804) was a significant contribution to early nineteenth-century economic theory, engaging with Adam Smith's legacy from a Ricardian perspective. Phillips's portrait of this politically and intellectually significant Scottish peer demonstrates his engagement with the Scottish dimension of British political and intellectual life during the Napoleonic era.

The aristocratic portrait presents the earl with the dignity and authority appropriate to his rank. Phillips's warm palette and accomplished technique create a vivid image of Scottish patrician authority.