Sir William Miller, Lord Glenlee

This portrait was clearly intended to acknowledge the sitter’s stature as a man of learning. Miller was a respected legal authority and book collector. The stacked books and opened letters conspicuous on his table allude to the weighty matters entrusted to him. The pair of spectacles held in his right hand suggests that he has only turned away from his work for a moment and will soon take it up again. Purchased in 1908, this portrait was Henry E. Huntington’s first major British painting acquisition.