Benjamin Hoadly, Bishop of Winchester

As bishop of Winchester and prelate of the Order of the Garter, Bishop Hoadly ranked second in precedence among the English bishops. In this small picture, he wears the prelate’s robes, with the arms of St. George embroidered on the shoulder. To enhance his sitter’s impressiveness, Hogarth wraps the dark blue mantle around Hoadly’s arm, thereby displaying the white satin of its lining and revealing a cluster of large gold tassels. The setting – a grandiose space with massive columns and a distant prospect of Windsor Castle – is also designed to impress.