Hickey, a Dublin-born artist, went to India in 1784. In this he followed the lead of many others, such as William Hodges and Johan Zoffany, in seeking the artistic opportunities presented by the growing wealth of its British colonial rulers. This portrait was painted there in 1806. Rainier was then serving under Admiral Pellew (ZBA0434) and had just been made captain, aged only 21. Hickey’s portrait captures a sense of Rainier as a precocious man of action, with the dashing swagger that made successful young naval officers the popular idols of their day.