Who painted Robert Plot?

Robert Plot was painted by William Reader.

Where can I see Robert Plot?

Robert Plot is held by Ashmolean Museum.

Artwork

Robert Plot

William Reader

Robert Plot is an oil painting by William Reader. It is held in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum.

About this work

Overview

William Reader’s oil portrait of Robert Plot, dated 1688, is part of the Ashmolean Museum’s collection. The work presents a single figure against a muted backdrop, employing a restrained palette that emphasizes the sitter’s features and attire. The composition is anchored by a faint oval framing the subject, creating a subtle sense of enclosure.

Subject & Meaning

The sitter, identified as Robert Plot, appears with long, curled hair and a dark coat trimmed with gold buttons, complemented by a white shirt with an elaborately patterned collar. His dignified pose and formal dress reflect the conventions of late‑seventeenth‑century portraiture, intended to convey status and scholarly achievement.

Technique & Style

Reader utilizes chiaroscuro to model the figure, allowing light to catch the textured fabrics and hair while the surrounding darkness recedes. Fine brushwork renders the metallic gleam of the buttons and the intricate collar design, demonstrating a meticulous approach to surface detail typical of English portrait painters of the period.

History & Provenance

Created in 1688, the painting has remained in England and is now housed in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Its provenance traces back to the museum’s early acquisitions of seventeenth‑century English portraiture, where it has been catalogued as a representative example of William Reader’s oeuvre.