Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive of Plassey 'Clive of India', KB, FRS, DCL, MP (1725-1774)

Nathaniel Dance-Holland painted Robert Clive around 1770, depicting the founder of British rule in India — 'Clive of India' — in a military portrait format that expressed both his personal eminence and the significance of his achievement in establishing British dominance on the subcontinent. Clive's story was among the most dramatic of the period: from East India Company clerk to military commander whose victory at Plassey (1757) began the process of British imperial control of India. Dance's portrait captures the complex man behind the imperial legend — haunted by the violence and controversy of his career, eventually committing suicide in 1774.

Dance portrays Clive with military authority against a background suggesting India. The formal composition and rich coloring convey the status Clive acquired through his campaigns.