Portrait of John Ker, 3rd Duke of Roxburghe 1761

Pompeo Batoni, an Italian painter, made this portrait of John Ker, the 3rd Duke of Roxburghe, in the 18th century. Batoni made his name painting the British aristocracy. At the time, it was fashionable for young upper-class men to take a ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe, often completing their trip with a visit to Batoni’s studio in Rome to sit for a portrait. This portrait uses visual codes to convey Ker's status. Batoni has depicted him wearing a red robe trimmed with ermine which, along with the ducal coronet on the table, signifies Ker’s aristocratic status. Batoni’s portraits were popular with British aristocrats, like Ker, who saw themselves as part of a sophisticated European culture, and wished to remember their travels. Studying such works through sources such as letters, diaries, travel journals and financial accounts, allows us to understand better the cultural and institutional circumstances that shaped the production of art at this time. Art does not exist in a vacuum, but is contingent on historical, social and institutional contexts.