Portrait of William Brouncker

Three-quarter length portrait of Viscount Brouncker, seated, his body left side-on to the viewer, his face turned and in half-profile. Brouncker is dressed in a white shirt with black ribbon ties at the cuffs and a white lace neck-cloth. He wears a loose brown robe over these and the green and gold upholstery of his chair is just visible through its folds. Brouncker’s hair is natural, black and shoulder-length and he has a narrow black moustache. His right index finger points towards a paper held upright on a small wooden easel on the red-cloth covered table before him, and this contains a geometrical drawing of a curve. The left hand supports his robe. Behind is a fluted architectural pillar and red drapery. William Brouncker was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1660, he served as its first President from 1662 to 1677. Brouncker was a founder of the Society.