Henry Compton
- Artist: Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt
- Date: circa 1712
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 29 3/4 in. x 25 in. (756 mm x 635 mm)
- Portrays: Henry Compton
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
This oil on canvas was painted around 1712 by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt, a noted portrait painter of early‑eighteenth‑century England. The work shows Henry Compton in his eighties—his face framed by a slightly turned head and his eyes directed forward, giving the viewer a quiet sense of resolve.
The sitter wears a simple black cassock, its plain lines echoing the sober style of ecclesiastical attire of the time. Kneller’s brushwork is smooth; he captures subtle shading across Compton’s cheekbones and the faint smile that suggests years of contemplation. The background is muted, a wash of ochre that keeps focus on the Bishop.
Compton had been Bishop of London for 38 years, supporting James II but firmly anti‑Catholic. He was the only churchman among seven prominent figures who invited William of Orange to invade Britain; later he crowned William and Mary in 1689. This portrait, painted when he was eighty, came just before his death in 1713 and gives us a direct glimpse of an influential cleric at the close of his life.
See it in person
Henry Compton is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
