The dramatist William Congreve is depicted in this miniature at the age of about 25 to 30, c.1695-1700. Congreve was at this point an emerging young playwright who had recently produced The Double Dealer (1693) and The Way of the World (1700), which were to stand as his most significant contributions to English Restoration comedy. He was portrayed as an older man by Sir Godfrey Kneller (National Portrait Gallery, London, nos. 67 and 3199), although the present miniature captures more accurately the sensitivity of the youthful dramatist. The hand of the miniaturist has not been identified, but bears some resemblance to that of Christian Richter (1676-1732).