George Byng, Viscount Torrington 1747

Editor: This is a portrait of George Byng, Viscount Torrington, by Jacobus Houbraken. I'm struck by the naval imagery beneath the portrait. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Consider the mermaid, cherubs, and the naval battle. These aren't just decorative. They're symbols of Byng's power and mastery over the sea, a visual language of his era. The compass, too, implies navigation and control. How do these symbols speak to you? Editor: I guess they suggest he was a powerful naval commander, someone who shaped events. Curator: Precisely. It's a carefully constructed image, designed to project authority and commemorate a legacy, using established visual tropes. We can better understand how he and his contemporaries wished to be perceived through the language of symbols. Editor: That makes so much more sense. I wouldn't have thought of it that way.