Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley (1760-1842)

Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley, elder brother of the Duke of Wellington and himself a major figure in British imperial history as Governor-General of India, appears in this 1832 portrait in the Royal Collection. Wellesley"s governance of India from 1798 to 1805 dramatically expanded British territorial control, and he later served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Shee"s portrait, produced after his election as President of the Royal Academy, reflects his elevated status as the official portraitist of the British establishment.

The Marquess is shown with the gravitas appropriate to one of the most powerful figures in the British Empire, his decorations and robes of office rendered with careful precision. Shee deploys his full range of formal portrait conventions—the dignified pose, the rich but controlled palette of crimson and gold, the dark background that isolates the figure. The face, painted with considerable skill, conveys the intelligence and authority of a seasoned statesman.