The founder of the van Loo dynasty of painters was the Dutchman, Jacob van Loo (1614-70), who was obliged to flee Amsterdam after killing someone in a pub brawl. Having settled in Paris his son, Louis Abraham, and grandsons, Jean-Baptiste and Carle-Andre (1705-65), all made successful careers in France. In addition Jean-Baptise himself had two painter sons, Louis-Michel (1707-71) and Charles-Amedee-Philippe (1719-95). Jean-Baptiste trained as a religious and mythological painter in Italy with Benedetto Luti (1666-1724), before settling in Paris in 1719. He made a brief visit to England from 1737-42, where his success as a portrait painter annoyed Hogarth so much that it provoked him into talking up portraiture himself. This is one of a pair of portraits (OM 536-7, 405311-2) painted as a present for William Pulteney, Earl of Bath (1684-1764) and costing 60 guineas each. The sitter is shown wearing robes of State over a blue coat and breeches embroidered with gold brocade, with the collar and star of the Order of the Garter.