Curatorial Narrative Anthony Lee’s “Portrait of Joseph Leeson, later 1st Earl of Milltown (1711-1783)” is a paradigmatic exemplar of Neoclassical portraiture, executed in 1735 with a level of finesse that underscores the artist’s mastery of figurative representation. The subject, resplendent in his finery, is situated within a chromatic structure that privileges warm hues – orange, red, and white – which are tempered by the judicious deployment of black and gray accents. This palette, redolent of the Regency style, serves to heighten the sense of opulence and refinement that pervades the composition, while Lee’s fine brushwork imbues the portrait with a level of detail that is at once intricate and restrained.When enlarged to 44×70, this portrait assumes a spatial rhythm that is both stately and imposing. The orange and red hues, now more pronounced, seem to advance and recede in a carefully calibrated dance, generating an atmospher