This painting portrays Dr. Jeremiah Milles (1751–1797), Dean of Exeter and eminent antiquarian, collector, and president of the Society of Antiquaries from 1768 to 1784.
Credit
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
To commemorate his marriage to Rose Gardiner, Jeremiah Milles commissioned full-length portraits, both of which hang in this gallery. Romney captured the self-confidence of Jeremiah Milles. The book Milles holds may allude to his literary achievements, but the casual manner in which it dangles from his fingertips, signals his ease and familiarity with intellectual matters.