Portrait of William III of Orange (1650-1702)

William III of Orange — King of England, Scotland, and Ireland after the Glorious Revolution of 1688 — was the most important royal patron of Kneller's career. Kneller produced multiple official state portraits of William, which were replicated in large numbers for distribution to government offices, courts, and institutions throughout his kingdoms. The 1693 version belongs to the established official portrait cycle that Kneller maintained throughout William's reign.

William is shown in state robes or armor with the formal, commanding pose required of sovereign portraiture. Kneller balances the obligatory emblems of royal authority — crown, scepter, or armor — with the direct, slightly austere characterization he consistently brought to William's face.