Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, Bt (1829–1894), Judge

George Frederic Watts painted Sir James Fitzjames Stephen in 1886 as part of his ambitious 'Hall of Fame' project — a self-appointed mission to create portraits of the greatest Victorians for the nation. Stephen was one of the most formidable legal minds of the age, a judge of the Queen's Bench and author of the comprehensive Digest of the Criminal Law. His brother was Leslie Stephen; his niece was Virginia Woolf. Watts believed portraiture could serve a historical and moral function, preserving for posterity the faces of those who had shaped civilisation. This canvas for the Government Art Collection exemplifies that ambition.

Watts paints with his characteristic warm, glazed tonality, building up the face through thin layers that give flesh tones depth and luminosity. The compositional focus is entirely on the head and expression, with dark, loosely indicated robes receding into shadow. Brushwork is controlled in the face but freer and more gestural in the peripheral areas.