George III (1738-1820)

George III (1738–1820), painted around 1780 and held in the Royal Collection, is one of several portraits Gainsborough painted of the king and royal family after his appointment as a favorite painter of the court. While Reynolds held the formal title of Principal Painter in Ordinary, the royal family preferred Gainsborough’s more natural approach to portraiture. George III’s patronage gave Gainsborough access to the highest level of English society and led to the extensive series of royal portraits that occupied his London years. The Royal Collection preserves these paintings as documents of both the Georgian monarchy and one of its most accomplished portraitists.

Gainsborough renders the king with his characteristic silvery palette and fluid brushwork, softening the rigidity of royal portrait conventions. The atmospheric handling and naturalistic lighting distinguish this portrait from the more formal state images by other painters.