This posthumous marble portrait bust of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, Whig politician and close friend of the Prince of Wales, is likely to be a version of the bust that Nollekens made for Chatsworth in the same year. Another two versions, also signed 1812, are known; one in the North Carolina Museum of Art and a fourth in a private American collection. The likeness of the Duke is thought to have been based on a painting by Reynolds. The Duke is depicted with classical draperies arranged over his shoulders, with his head slightly raised and turned, and with his hair brushed back. The bust was commissioned by George IV, when Prince Regent, in 1812 and was delivered to Carlton House in April 1812.