Portrait of Francis William Skipwith

Along with Pompeo Batoni, an example of whose work hangs nearby, von Maron was one of Rome's most fashionable portrait painters. Like Batoni, he catered to Grand Tourists who wished for a portrait to commemorate their visit to Rome. Here, he paints Francis Skipwith in the elegant dress of an English aristocrat. The gesture of the sitter's right hand is possibly meant to indicate some example of ancient art he would have brought back to England and installed in his home, in proximity to this portrait.