A print of Sir Charles Napier, 2nd Baronet, wearing armour, with a Black servant holding a plumed helmet. Battle scene in the background.

The Black servant is unlikely to represent an identifiable individual. Instead, the inclusion of Black figures as servants, attendants, or enslaved people in portraits of European sitters was a common visual trope in the 17th and 18th centuries. The submissive presence of such figures (often shown in acts of service such as holding clothes, umbrellas or trays) was deployed as a visual status symbol. The Black figures often emphasise the status of the main sitter by being positioned behind or looking up to them, establishing a physical as well as a racial hierarchy. Their presence also asserts the global power of the sitter through reference to the transatlantic slave trade. These figures are often dressed in clothing considered ‘exotic’ by contemporary Europeans such as turbans, silks, and caftans, further representing the luxurious fantasy and wealth that was felt to be embodied by the Black presence.