Portrait of Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire 1766

Pompeo Batoni's 1766 *Portrait of Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire* depicts the nobleman standing in a grand landscape, his posture relaxed as he rests his hand on a stone plinth. A winged figure stands behind the Marquess, holding aloft a portrait of his wife in an oval frame. The symbolism of the work is complex, with the winged figure perhaps representing love and memory, while the setting of the portrait and the inscription below allude to the Marquess's status as a patron of the arts. The painting is a fine example of Batoni's mastery of portraiture and allegorical imagery.