Sir Noah Thomas (1720–1792), Alumnus of St John's College, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (1757) 

George Romney painted this portrait of Sir Noah Thomas in the late 18th century. We see Thomas adorned in the garb of academia and medicine, his hand resting on a book, symbols of knowledge and authority. Consider the color red of his doctoral robe. This bold hue echoes through the ages, from the crimson cloaks of Roman senators to the robes of Renaissance cardinals. Red, historically a color associated with power, sacrifice, and transformation, visually asserts Thomas’s prominence and intellectual vigor. The gesture of his hand, lightly placed upon the book, is a motif that recurs across centuries of portraiture, seen in depictions of scholars, saints, and rulers. It conveys not only his learning but also a sense of contemplative wisdom. These symbols are not static. They constantly evolve, adapting to the shifting cultural landscape, yet their primal impact remains, engaging us on a deeply ingrained, subconscious level. The emotional resonance of this portrait lies in its connection to a lineage of images that have shaped our understanding of authority, knowledge, and the very essence of human achievement.