Idealised portrait of Linnaeus
The artist was appointed animal painter to King George III and later to the Prince Regent. This portrait of the botanist Linnaeus was probably painted in Leeds on the occasion of the opening of the Hull Botanic Gardens to a commission from the Hull Botanic Gardens Committee. The artist would have had little or no direct evidence of what Linnaeus looked like. Linnaeus (1707-1778) founded the modern system of botanical classification. His long career was spent at the University of Uppsala in Sweden. The flower shown in the portrait is Linnaeus Borealis and the Order is that of the Polar Star.
