Thomas Lawrence

Mr (later Sir) Thomas Lawrence rose from humble beginnings to become the foremost portrait painter of his time. His reputation for portraits that were both elegant and lifelike was such that nobility and gentry alike gave him their patronage. Mr Lawrence's high standing made it natural that in 1814 Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell would turn to him to capture their likenesses.

Mr Norrell made a nervous and fidgety sitter, and Lawrence was at a loss to discover what so disturbed him until enlightened by Mr Strange — it was Mr Norrell's continuing anxiety about the safety of his books (the portrait was being painted in the library of Mr Norrell's house in London). A full account of this amusing episode is in Recollections of Sir Thomas Lawrence during an intimacy of nearly thirty years [35].

The fate of the portrait itself is unknown however as it was removed from its place in Mr Norrell's library after his breach with Strange. For further information on Sir Thomas Lawrence consult the wikipedia article available here.