Sir Richard Steele
Oil on canvas, 127 x 101 cm, by Sir James Thornhill, 1713
Government Art Collection, UK

This portrait captures Richard Steele in undress, wearing a cap rather than the usual wig, which was later engraved by George Vertue in 1714. Acquired for the Government Collection in 1957 from the Cobham Hall, Kent sale (formerly belonging to the Earls of Darnley), it was initially attributed to an unidentified artist.