Portrait of Daniel O'Connell as Governor of the National Bank

Dating to 1838, the portrait demonstrates the portrait tradition that David Wilkie helped define. Painted during the politically volatile July Monarchy era, the work balances individual likeness with the idealized presentation expected by nineteenth-century patrons. As Principal Painter in Ordinary, Wilkie occupied the summit of the British art establishment, and his late royal portraits and Middle Eastern subjects reflect his ambition to expand beyond the Scottish genre subjects that had made h

The portrait is rendered with warm coloring that characterizes David Wilkie's best work. Oil on canvas provides a rich ground for the subtle gradations of flesh tone and the textural contrasts between skin, fabric, and background that give the image its convincing presence.