Peter Ball 1671

John Riley painted this portrait of Peter Ball in oil on canvas in late 17th century England. Ball was a prominent lawyer and Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. Riley's painting signifies Ball’s social status through its formal composition. The dark academic robes and the trappings of wealth in the painted oval frame speak to a specific moment in British history. The Restoration period saw a reassertion of traditional hierarchies after the Interregnum, which challenged those social structures. Riley, as a sought-after portraitist, contributed to the visual culture that shored up the renewed power of institutions like the law and the universities. To understand this work more fully, we can consult archival records of Exeter College, legal documents from the period, and biographies of prominent figures like Ball. These resources help contextualize the painting, revealing how art and social position were deeply intertwined.