Portrait of William Murray

Portrait of William Murray is a c.1737 portrait painting by the French artist Jean-Baptiste [van Loo]. It depicts the Scottish lawyer and politician William [Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield|William Murray] as a young man. He was later made Earl of Mansfield and held a number of judicial posts including Lord [Chief Justice]. His rulings in Somersett's Case and the Zong massacre were notable steps in the Abolitionist movement.
Van Loo was from a noted family of painters of Dutch origin. He travelled to Britain in the 1730s and produced a number of portraits of notable figures including the Prince of Wales and Sir [Robert Walpole]. Today painting is in the National [Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery] in London, having been presented by the Society of Judges and Serjeants-at-Law in 1877. Other versions of the portrait are at Kenwood House in Highgate and Scone Palace, both former residences of Mansfield.