George Romney was an English portrait painter, the most fashionable artist of his day, painting many leading society figures – including his artistic muse, Emma Hamilton, mistress of Lord Nelson. Romney is generally ranked third in the hierarchy of 18th-century society portrait painters, after Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough. His art is characterized by great refinement, sensitivity of feeling, elegance of design and beauty of color. Romney was a prolific painter and produced about 2,000 paintings and 5,000 drawings during his lifetime.