Morier was a Swiss military and sporting painter who started working for William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1721-65) in 1747, when he painted a series of pictures of troops under his command. From 1752 until 1764 he was employed as ‘limner’ (painter) to the Duke on an annual salary of £100; his name also appears regularly in royal accounts from 1764 to 1767. The Marquess of Granby was the eldest son of the Duke of Rutland and a brave and popular commander, serving with great distinction as Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in Germany during the Seven Year’s War. The sitter appears here mounted on a rearing grey horse; three Dragoons are galloping towards a battle on a field in the distance. It is not possible to identify the engagement in the background of this portrait, but the Battle of Warburg in 1760 is a candidate as Granby's exploits were here legendary, both for the magnificence of his cavalry charges and for the fact that in one he lost both hat and wig.