Oil on canvas, 241.3 x 144.8cm.
In a carved giltwood frame.
Charles Mordaunt was a military man.
He first saw service with the Mediterranean fleet off the coast of North Africa whilst in his teens, and later led the English and Dutch troops in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714).
He was also involved in politics, as a convinced Whig and an outspoken opponent of the openly Catholic James II.
He strongly supported William of Orange’s accession to the throne in 1689 and received many honours from the King.
Charles Jervas, who was Irish born, studied in London as an assistant to Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723).
Despite the fact that Kneller appears not to have rated his work very highly, Jervas became a successful portrait painter, succeeding Kneller as Principal Portrait Painter to George I in 1723.
He also painted many of the leading intellectuals of the day, with whom he enjoyed a close friendship.
