A well-executed half-length portrait of a wigged man in armour painted in a feigned stone oval, studio of Sir Godfrey Kneller. The use of a feigned oval was a device used in portraiture to give a sense of depth and add an intimacy to the painting, drawing your attention to the sitter.

The subject, posed in a fashionable wig of the time wears a red robe over a gilt edged suit of armour and a white cravat at his neck. Suits of armour in portraits indicate that the sitter is someone of military importance. His bearing, together with the fine quality and decorative details on the armour all point towards this person being a nobleman, probably either a Duke or Earl. The portrait has clearly been painted by an artist of great ability in a similar style and subject matter to Sir Godfrey Kneller.

Sir Godfrey Kneller was a leading portrait painter working in England during the late 17th and early 18th century. He was born in Lubreck, Germany, and studied under Rembrandt. He settled in England in 1676 where he ran a successful studio and became a court painter to the monarchy and members of the aristocracy.