Cooper Penrose traveled from Ireland to Paris in 1802 to commission Jacques- Louis David, the most famous painter in Europe, to paint his portrait. Penrose, an Irish member of a prominent Quaker family, was a successful businessman and landowner but was criticized by the Society of Friends for his lavish tastes. David brings the sitter down to earth by positioning the head lower on the canvas than is traditional in French portraiture. Attention is drawn to the brilliantly painted head and hands, which form a triangle in the center of the composition.